CASTINE, Maine — The nation’s highest ranking official in charge of commercial shipping will deliver the commencement address at Maine Maritime Academy’s graduation this May, the academy announced Monday.
David Matsuda is maritime administrator within the U.S. Department of Transportation. As administrator, Matsuda advises and assists the secretary of transportation on all maritime activities and acts as a liaison with public and private entities within the industry, including maritime colleges.
Matsuda was named maritime administrator in 2010 after working for a year as acting administrator. Before that, he held a senior post at the Department of Transportation and worked as a senior counsel and transportation adviser to U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey.
MMA’s 69th commencement exercises will be held Saturday, May 5, at the Alexander Fieldhouse.
“The Maritime Administration is critical to the furtherance of U.S. maritime trade, work force development and maritime education,” MMA President William Brennan said in a statement. “The partnership that Maine Maritime Academy and our fellow state maritime academies have with the Maritime Administration is vital to our success. We’re honored that Maritime Administrator Matsuda will travel to Maine to welcome the newest contingent of professional mariners to the industry.”
His address will go something like this: Grads, the US shipping industry is dead, I suggest you take jobs at Starbucks, 6 Flag Amusement parks (flume rides), or join the Peace Corp. Have a nice day. DISMISSED!
Hey Skinner,
They can come to the oil field right now and make 100 K right now.
Dismissed!
exactly………….. or any number of other opportunities are available.. some even in Maine.. where the friendly side of Gov’t has left the building as it relates to industry
It would have been appropriate if Dana White had graduated from MMA.
It will only take 2-1/2 hours before the out of state graduates which comprise 1/2 of the student body to boogie thru the southern toll gate turnpike terminus and never be seen again taking their Maine taxpayers $40,000 investment? with them. It’s time to privatize the MMA and save $9,000,000 per year and nearly $100 million over the next decade.
How the heck can you blame people for simply going where the jobs are? Flip You For Real is exactly right. My family and I would be glad to be back home in Maine but the likelihood of a 6-figure income with great benefits there is……nil.
If you were a MMA student from out of state.. how about flipping some of that six figure money back to the Maine taxpayers who funded your sports and spa activities for 4 years.
from the class of ‘ 69, allow me to tell coolfusion, you must be missing a few teeth, I can hear you lisping from here.. bring it up a notch, get the facts and try again.. and Brian, although the shipping industry is not what it was when I graduated, it still needs good engineers and mates… and the industrial sector of the US and abroad offers great opportunity for maritime academy graduates.. by the way, in the Maine , where there are many Maine Maritime Academy graduates working in privat industry .. places like Bath Iron Works, Cianbro in Pittsfield , GE in bangor, paper mill power plants across the state, engineering co’s, Public Power Plants, Nuclear plants…. so the numbskull who thinks all the graduates leave Maine is just not fully informed..
That’s is what the U of M system is for.. why duplicate and waste sparse money on a sports and spa at the MMA. The $100 Million saved over the next decade would go quite a distance at U of M or the Community College system investing in Maine Youth instead of providing jock time for out of staters that can’t quite make the grade to be accepted in their own state.
Went to Maine Martime Academy, and played football. I don’t remember much spa activities, in fact doing the spa deal with a bunch of other dudes not my thing but thanks for putting up the cash Bro.