After reading the draft that the USMMA Strategic Planning Committee issued I responded to them with this letter. Wanted to post it here to read any comments some of you might have, and possibly generate some interest from those of you who have not given your input to the committee. I will cut and paste the letter from the committee followed by my letter to them in response.
One thing. This is not meant as an attack on the committee by any means. It is meant as one persons viewpoint. It comes from someone who is new to USMMA and like the letter says has only visited campus two times. My son (2016) will be starting in July so my viewpoint is from a newbie.
Please take the time to express your views on this subject to the Strategic Planning Committee and also to your Congressman. Hopefully we can make a difference.
USMMA Invites Comments on the USMMA Draft Strategic Plan (2012-2017)
We invite you to review and comment on the draft USMMA Strategic Plan (2012-2017) by July 4, 2012. The USMMA Strategic Planning process was launched on March 13, 2012 by Interim Superintendent Dr. Shashi Kumar and US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood during a Town Hall meeting with midshipmen, faculty and staff. This was the beginning of an extensive outreach process to gather feedback and insights for the USMMA Five-Year Strategic Plan.
Since that time, we have held outreach sessions with the USMMA campus community, as well as representatives from the Maritime industry, alumni, parents and leaders in the Great Neck Community. So far, we have received feedback from more than 800 people with ties to King Point, and we look forward to hearing from even more over the next few weeks.
The Strategic Plan articulates why the Academy matters, its importance to the Nation and the values that drive its success. We want to thank those who participated in one of the outreach sessions and encourage everyone to review the draft plan as we near the end of the strategic planning process. We encourage you to forward this notice to your colleagues.
Go to USMMA.EDU<http://www.USMMA.EDU> to review the draft USMMA Strategic Plan. Please submit comments to STRATEGICPLAN@USMMA.EDU<mailto:STRATEGICPLAN@USMMA.EDU> no later than July 4, 2012.
Very sincerely,
Dr. Bryna Helfer, Director of Public Engagement, USDOT
Ms. Helen Brohl, Senior Advisor for USMMA Strategic Planning, USMMA
Dear Sirs,
As a parent of an incoming USMMA student I applauded and looked forward to the Strategic Plan for the academy. However after reading the draft I was thouroghly disappointed. It comes across as a typical government overview. It is very vague and deals in generalities trying to please the masses and be politically correct. What I was hoping for was an in depth plan addressing specific needs of the academy. What I read was a politically correct pamphlet covering generalities, ideals and diversity. Nothing wrong with having something like that, but that is an overview and not a strategic plan. I was hoping for specifics that addressed head on the immediate problems the campus faces. Instead of worrying about the percentage of students passing the Coast Guard exam or the advancement of the percentages of minorities in the school why aren't we first worrying about the condition of the buildings, facilities and infrastructure on campus and keeping our young men and women healthy and safe. Kings Point just had a tremendous scare with the carbon monoxide problem which emphasizes the point I am trying to make.
As a new KP parent I can only relate my limited experiences and viewpoint as I have only visited campus twice, staying overnight one time at Melville Hall. To be very honest with you the first time I visited USMMA I was shocked. I could not believe that one of the five United States Service Academies was in the condition it was in. I have personally been to USNA and to USAFA so I thought that USMMA would be somewhat similar but on a smaller scale and probably not quite as nice due to the fact that USMMA was not DOD funded. I can understand the disparity between the three but what I found at first glance at USMMA was an aging campus, old buildings that are outdated, cracked and uneven sidewalks, a gymnassium that was smaller, older and way outdated compared to most highschool gyms in our local area, a pier that was falling apart, and a baseball field that is in very poor shape and doesn't even have an outfield fence. This was just a first look and had nothing to do with the real meat and potatoes of the campus such as infrastructure, dormatories, classrooms or labratories. Needless to say I was shocked that in the greatest country in the world one of our five national service academies was in this kind of shape. Now obviously what is truly important is the education and experience our young men and women get from attending USMMA, but the safety, atmosphere, and overall condition of campus should not have to suffer to provide those things. There is absolutely no reason, other than misplaced emphasis and priorities in funding, why this institution should not be close to what the campuses of USNA and USAFA look like. It is all based on priorities and in my opinion it is way past time that this institution get the priority it deserves to represent this country as one of its nations service academies.
Thank you for your time and work on this very important project.
Regards,
_____________________
One thing. This is not meant as an attack on the committee by any means. It is meant as one persons viewpoint. It comes from someone who is new to USMMA and like the letter says has only visited campus two times. My son (2016) will be starting in July so my viewpoint is from a newbie.
Please take the time to express your views on this subject to the Strategic Planning Committee and also to your Congressman. Hopefully we can make a difference.
USMMA Invites Comments on the USMMA Draft Strategic Plan (2012-2017)
We invite you to review and comment on the draft USMMA Strategic Plan (2012-2017) by July 4, 2012. The USMMA Strategic Planning process was launched on March 13, 2012 by Interim Superintendent Dr. Shashi Kumar and US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood during a Town Hall meeting with midshipmen, faculty and staff. This was the beginning of an extensive outreach process to gather feedback and insights for the USMMA Five-Year Strategic Plan.
Since that time, we have held outreach sessions with the USMMA campus community, as well as representatives from the Maritime industry, alumni, parents and leaders in the Great Neck Community. So far, we have received feedback from more than 800 people with ties to King Point, and we look forward to hearing from even more over the next few weeks.
The Strategic Plan articulates why the Academy matters, its importance to the Nation and the values that drive its success. We want to thank those who participated in one of the outreach sessions and encourage everyone to review the draft plan as we near the end of the strategic planning process. We encourage you to forward this notice to your colleagues.
Go to USMMA.EDU<http://www.USMMA.EDU> to review the draft USMMA Strategic Plan. Please submit comments to STRATEGICPLAN@USMMA.EDU<mailto:STRATEGICPLAN@USMMA.EDU> no later than July 4, 2012.
Very sincerely,
Dr. Bryna Helfer, Director of Public Engagement, USDOT
Ms. Helen Brohl, Senior Advisor for USMMA Strategic Planning, USMMA
Dear Sirs,
As a parent of an incoming USMMA student I applauded and looked forward to the Strategic Plan for the academy. However after reading the draft I was thouroghly disappointed. It comes across as a typical government overview. It is very vague and deals in generalities trying to please the masses and be politically correct. What I was hoping for was an in depth plan addressing specific needs of the academy. What I read was a politically correct pamphlet covering generalities, ideals and diversity. Nothing wrong with having something like that, but that is an overview and not a strategic plan. I was hoping for specifics that addressed head on the immediate problems the campus faces. Instead of worrying about the percentage of students passing the Coast Guard exam or the advancement of the percentages of minorities in the school why aren't we first worrying about the condition of the buildings, facilities and infrastructure on campus and keeping our young men and women healthy and safe. Kings Point just had a tremendous scare with the carbon monoxide problem which emphasizes the point I am trying to make.
As a new KP parent I can only relate my limited experiences and viewpoint as I have only visited campus twice, staying overnight one time at Melville Hall. To be very honest with you the first time I visited USMMA I was shocked. I could not believe that one of the five United States Service Academies was in the condition it was in. I have personally been to USNA and to USAFA so I thought that USMMA would be somewhat similar but on a smaller scale and probably not quite as nice due to the fact that USMMA was not DOD funded. I can understand the disparity between the three but what I found at first glance at USMMA was an aging campus, old buildings that are outdated, cracked and uneven sidewalks, a gymnassium that was smaller, older and way outdated compared to most highschool gyms in our local area, a pier that was falling apart, and a baseball field that is in very poor shape and doesn't even have an outfield fence. This was just a first look and had nothing to do with the real meat and potatoes of the campus such as infrastructure, dormatories, classrooms or labratories. Needless to say I was shocked that in the greatest country in the world one of our five national service academies was in this kind of shape. Now obviously what is truly important is the education and experience our young men and women get from attending USMMA, but the safety, atmosphere, and overall condition of campus should not have to suffer to provide those things. There is absolutely no reason, other than misplaced emphasis and priorities in funding, why this institution should not be close to what the campuses of USNA and USAFA look like. It is all based on priorities and in my opinion it is way past time that this institution get the priority it deserves to represent this country as one of its nations service academies.
Thank you for your time and work on this very important project.
Regards,
_____________________