News From Fort Schuyler

August 11, 2008 - Volume 8, No. 27

ACADEMIC UPDATE FROM THE PROVOST - In response to a request from NFFS, DR. JOSEPH C HOFFMAN ' 75, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, spent some time on the phone last week to bring the editor up to date on the school. Joe oversees the academic program, as well as student life and admissions. Some of the highlights are included in this issue. (Any errors or mis-statements are the editor's.)

FULL HOUSE - This year the college has a waiting list for its undergraduate program. The dorms are chock- full, even with 40 freshman dorm rooms tripled up.

AMONG THE NEW STAFF - JONATHAN WHITE is the new Dean of Admissions, coming to the Maritime College from the University of Bridgeport. He has special expertise in international admissions.

SPEAKING OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS - This year the first of the college's Turkish cadets graduated as part of a new SUNY dual-degree program for foreign students. The first half of their mug year was spent at the Istanbul Technical University - Maritime Faculty (i.e., College) where they had already received a full year of intensive English language instruction. At Fort Schuyler they entered in the Spring semester of their 4/c year, in either the engineering or deck license program, went on their 3/c cruise, attended Spring and Fall semesters at the college, and participated in their 2/c cruise. According to Joe, this group of Turkish students had a graduation rate of 96% - not too shabby.

NEW WRINKLE - For the past several years, all new freshmen, regimental or civilian/non-regimental, have been required to attend a 1' day New Student Overnight Orientation session before the regular 14-day IDO program for cadets. Five sessions are run during July and August by the Director of Student Activities, RACHEL LERNER, with a staff of graduate assistants from schools such as Virginia Tech and Florida Atlantic University. Not only do all new students meet with faculty, advisers, get to know new and current students, experience the dorms, and get acquainted with the campus, but they also get a chance to attend a Mets or Yankees game. In addition new students can also participate in an optional half day of waterfront activities at the conclusion of the orientation. There may or may not be a connection, but Dr. Hoffman noted that: 1.) in the 2007 cadet orientation there was 100% retention during the IDO period and; 2.) this Spring 20 civilian students switched into the cadet program.

SCM 2.0 - LOGISTICS AND MORE - The college's Master of Science degree in International Transportation and Trade now offers a 21 credit program in Supply Chain Management (the courses for this concentration can also be taken as a stand-alone certificate program.) Also, a brand new graduate program, now awaiting approval in Albany, should be starting in Fall 2009. It will be a Master of Science in Facilities Engineering Management. This would be the Engineering Department's first graduate program.

THE COST OF LEARNING - According to the Undergraduate Student Welcome Packet on the college website, the cost of new books and supplies for freshmen for the Fall 2008 semester is estimated at $500 to $700.

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT - For the past two years the Chair of the Science Department has been DR. KATHY OLSZEWSKI. Kathy, who is also the department's Chemistry Curriculum Supervisor, writes that: "Both physics labs, the chemistry lab, and the oceanography lab were completely gutted and renovated in the summer of 2006. The meteorology lab was redone last winter. All but one of our classrooms are computer ready...We have come a long way as far as facilities go." In addition, "The Marine Environmental Science program was re-written 3 years ago; the first class to graduate under our current program will graduate in Spring 2009. Students now choose either Marine Biology or Meteorology & Oceanography as their minor." Kathy, however, is still a teacher at heart, "I must admit, my favorite hours of the week are those I spend with my classes, not those I spend doing administrative work."

ONWARD AND UPWARD - The new Marine Technology Manager at DuPont-Belco Technologies Corporation is CHARLES BURNS '70. Belco, a full subsidiary of DuPont, specializes in flue gas scrubber systems for industry. Charlie writes that the firm "...is improving these systems to meet the upcoming marine applications that will be required by the international maritime community" in which "...all commercial ships must either switch to a very expensive or sometime difficult to stem low sulphur fuel or be fitted out with this type 'scrubbing" equipment between 2010-2015."

"Not being an engineer, my responsibilities will primarily entail being a part of the sales/marketing team helping to build a new group that will be fully dedicated to supporting marine customers with their emission challenges." (For more information, contact him at burns@belcotech.com)

MENTORS - In a followup to the last week's ebb tide item, ROBERT BRANNIGAN '53 writes that "Mr. Penney [Apr '44] was a 'post Diploma' student in the 1951/52 era. These were graduates of the three year program who returned to acquire a four-year degree. JOE McNEILL '48, GEORGE HANFT '47 and BILL SEMBLER '52 also come to mind. Additionally Mr. Penney was a proctor in the South Dorm, the old wooden Navy barracks which served as dormitories. He had a two-room suite and the headache of trying to keep about 150 rabid cadets in line. He was soft-spoken, terminally neat and always one step ahead of us. He led by 'precept and example' and was a beacon of leadership. I have often said that the most valuable training I received at the Fort was outside the classroom. I believe many of us modeled ourselves on his leadership skills."

NICKLE FOR YOUR THOUGHTS - Apologies to FRANK NICKELS '58 from the editor for consistently misspelling his last name in past issues of NFFS, indicative of the editor's misplaced reliance on Spell Check.

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Richard Corson - Forest Hills, NY

Latitude 40.716N Longitude 73.85W

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