MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME CADET BIANCHI APPOINTED TO BOARD OF EDUCATION ADVISORY BOARD

Massachusetts Maritime Academy cadet and Newton resident Charles Z. Bianchi was appointed this week by Governor Charles D. Baker as an undergraduate student member of the Commonwealth’s Board of Higher Education.

“When government can harness the voices and intellect of our youth to help shape public policy, it’s always another step forward,” said Carlos E. Santiago, Massachusetts Commissioner of Higher Education. “Participation is a powerful learning tool and we are enthused to have Charles join us at the Board table.”

As an undergraduate public university student board member, Bianchi, a junior majoring in International Maritime Business, will provide input on behalf of the approximately 180,000 students currently enrolled in higher education institutions in the Commonwealth. His term will expire on April 30, 2021.

“Given the extraordinary times we’re living in, the Academy strives to bring students new learning experiences whenever possible to keep them prepared and engaged for what the future may hold in their personal lives and careers,” said Rear Admiral Francis X. McDonald, USMS, President of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. “Charles embodies the principles of honor, responsibility, discipline and leadership inherent in the Academy and we’re pleased that he is receiving this recognition by both the Governor and his peers.”
The Board of Higher Education is composed of 13 voting members, including three members chosen to represent public institutions of higher education. Of the three members, the Governor appoints at least one member who is currently enrolled in a public institution. Students who are nominated must demonstrate satisfactory academic progress at the schools where they are enrolled.

About Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA): MMA is a fully accredited, four-year, co-educational state university offering Bachelor and Master of Science degrees that are highly regarded in the worldwide maritime industry and beyond. For more than 100 years, MMA has been preparing women and men for exciting and rewarding careers on land and sea. As the nation's finest co-ed maritime college, MMA challenges students to succeed by balancing a unique regimented lifestyle with a typical four-year college environment. Located on Cape Cod, at the mouth of the scenic Cape Cod Canal, Massachusetts Maritime Academy is the ideal college to pursue the love for the ocean, concern for the environment, interest in math and science, and thirst for adventure.

Massachusetts Maritime Academy has implemented a comprehensive COVID-19 fall return plan to include campus de-densification and is committed to four main priorities during these challenging times. These priorities are: To keep our cadets, faculty and staff - and by extension, their families - safe; To keep the Academy from becoming a mass-transmission center; To find a path to get our 1/C cadets (seniors) to degree completion in time for Commencement; and To minimize the academic disruption for the 2/C, 3/C and 4/C cadets (underclass students). The full COVID-19 plan can be found at: https://www.maritime.edu/covid-19-dashboard