From the President

Welcome to our Fall 2022/Winter 2023 magazine, in which we highlight Cal Maritime’s leadership at all levels. Not only is leadership development one of our four compass points, it is essential to our mission and everything we do as a leading institution in the maritime industry.

U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper once said, “Leadership is a two-way street, loyalty up and loyalty down. Respect for one’s superiors; care for one’s crew.”

These are wise words from Rear Admiral Hopper, a pioneer who helped to develop the early computer, who invented the compiler that made highlevel computer languages possible, and who helped to define the design of COBOL, an early high-level programming language that is still in use today.

Loyalty and leadership indeed go hand-in-hand. Only together can we ensure that Cal Maritime’s future remains bright.

I am a firm believer that Cal Maritime is a leading educational institution, nationally and internationally recognized for its dynamic curriculum in business, engineering, transportation, operations, and policy.

But we didn’t get here by ideation alone. We have a talented and incredible team of faculty and staff whose job it is to ensure that our cadets have the resources they need for success in a world riddled with problems, issues, and challenges.

As we are steadily seeing the ramifications and effects of inflation, supply chain issues, and international warfare, we realize that we are preparing our cadets for a new world. A world where they will undeniably be prepared to lead others through stormy seas and the unpredictable weather ahead. Their experiences at Cal Maritime are positioning them to be future-thinking leaders.

Our Compass of cadet leaders includes Corps Commander Alicia Porter, President of the Associated Students (ASCMA) Max Jones, Cadet Housing Director Maddy Dack, and President of the Council of Cadet-Athletes (CCA) Kyle Collins.

Each of these cadet leaders is a fitting example of just how confident I am that together we are serving a greater good to make impactful change at all levels of the maritime industry – both shoreside and at sea.

Current cadets and soon-to-be graduates are entering an industry with real-world demands. I am thankful to our crew of dedicated faculty and staff who every day are developing our cadets into maritime leaders both inside and outside the classroom.

Our Corps of Cadets remains a cut above your average student body. Our emphasis on cultivating critical thinking skills and ethics in our graduates has provided a vital inroad to more deeply defining effective leadership practices at Cal Maritime.

As we navigate this next course into a challenging future, our academy will continue to lead the way, from the top down and from the bottom up, preparing our future alumni for the world and preparing the world for our consistently amazing graduates.

Laborare Pugnare Parati Sumus. “To work, to fight, we are ready.”

In Service,

President Thomas A. Cropper