January 26, 2000

Maritime Academy holds open house

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
       How does $35,000-40,000 grab you. Per year. To start.
      For a year that includes just 180 working days, with month-long blocks of time off and a two-month layoff in the winter.
      Anybody for full benefits? Retirement after 20 years?
      If this sounds like a career fantasy - too good to be true- look no further than the nearest freighter. For graduates of the Great Lakes Maritime Academy, that is the average starting package for new engineers, pilots or mates, the officers on the giant freighters that ply the Great Lakes. Carrying cargoes of cement, coal, iron ore, salt or grain, these giant freighters, some 1,000-feet long, crisscross the Great Lakes from early spring until the end of December, manned by crews of up to 30 mariners.
      Despite the small crew size per ship, skilled mariners are in demand like never before, industry experts said.
      "The maritime industry is huge, plus there are hundreds of jobs on shore for every job on a ship," said Harry Sellers, a recruiter for the Great Lakes Maritime Academy and a 1991 graduate of the academy.
      "We draw students from all 50 states and have students from high school age to age 40. One graduate was a retired doctor who completed the program and is now out sailing," he said.
      To get the word out about a marine career, the Great Lakes Maritime Academy hosted an open house Saturday to allow prospective students and their parents a chance to learn about a career as a maritime officer and what the training entails. The open house drew more than 75 people and included friends of current cadets and community members curious about the program in addition to potential recruits and their parents.
      "We also hold these open houses to show the community what we do," Sellers noted. "This program is a unique feature of Traverse City and I think it is a big asset to the local community."
      Getting the word about their programs is crucial to the academy, one of six maritime academies in the United States and the only freshwater academy. Last year's class of 14 is one of the smallest classes in the school's 30-year history, which graduated its first class of six cadets in 1972.
      This year's enrollment falls far short of the 50 slots available at the academy, a ceiling mandated by the federal government. Filling future classes with more cadets is a high priority for the Great Lakes Maritime Academy, especially with the increased demand among employers for trained mariner officers.
      One way the academy fills their slots is to look to non-traditional students. Of the 60 current cadets in the three-year program, approximately 40 are younger students out of high school. The other 20 cadets are older students who have left established careers to follow a lifelong dream.
      Just over 40, John Olson is a typical non-typical student at the academy. After earning a bachelor's degree at Central Michigan University, Olson spent more than a decade working as an automotive engineer downstate. Then he decided to pitch it all and follow the call of the sea, enrolling in the academy. He is now a third year deck cadet and plans to graduate this spring.
      "It got to the point where I didn't like getting up in the morning so I knew I was in the wrong field," said Olson, a Shelby Township native. "I always dreamed of sailing and decided now was the time. I love it."
      There are some downsides to being a mariner. On the Great Lakes, the standard schedule set by the Mariner's union is two months on and one month off. That's about 60 days continuously on a ship, with small breaks in port at each loading and unloading. That means 60 days away from home and family and friends. The advent of cellular phones and e-mail (most ships have Internet connections) have helped mariners keep in touch and makes the time away acceptable.
      "Almost everyone on the boat has a cell phone and when you come to a place where there is coverage they all crowd on the decks to make their calls," said Sheila Clogg, a second year engineer student who completed an on-board internship this fall.
      "It's not so bad, you are in port every three days and generally most Great Lakes round trips are six days. There's a lot of money to be made and a lot of overtime; the job opportunities are huge."