Page 38: of Marine News Magazine (October 2021)

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Feature

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Training & Education “...we hope to be able to show interested students from all backgrounds how our special brand of hands-on education can be so rewarding.” – JANET ACKER, CHIEF OF STAFF AND EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

TO THE PRESIDENT OF MAINE MARITIME ACADEMY

Ortiz said that Mass Maritime has worked to gain a 17% are women. close understanding of the emerging generation of high Total student enrollment 2020: schoolers. He said that “equality, inclusivity, stability and

White737 opportunities” are valued by students today and “therefore we have changed our initiatives and messaging to promote

Hispanic38 social mobility.”

Mass Maritime adopted the American Association of

Black14

Colleges and University Inclusive Excellence framework

Asian14 which helps colleges and universities integrate diversity, equity, and educational quality efforts into their missions

International 5 and institutional operations.

As a state university, most of Mass Maritime’s enroll-

Unknown 83 ment comes from Massachusetts, Ortiz said. Overall, the state’s high school population is declining; however, the percentage of Black and Latinx students is rising. “Our Janet Acker is Chief of Staff and Executive Assistant to strategy,” Ortiz explained, is to “promote access and op- the President of Maine Maritime Academy. She explained portunity particularly in the twenty-six Massachusetts that Maine Maritime is focused on encouraging young

Gateway cities;” those are mid-sized cities such as Barn- women to pursue maritime careers. Additional recruit- stable and Lowell and Spring