CASTINE, Maine—Dr. William J. Brennan, President of Maine Maritime Academy, today announced that the community, along with special guests, will celebrate the completion of the ABS Center for Engineering, Science, and Research with a dedication ceremony on Friday, May First at 4 p.m.
Governor Paul R. LePage will be joined by Christopher J. Wiernicki, Chairman, President and CEO of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and other dignitaries to speak at the event. The dedication will be followed by an Open House at 5 p.m. Faculty, staff, and students will be available to answer questions from visitors about the newly constructed academic building.
“We are extremely pleased to invite the public to celebrate this important milestone with us,” said President Brennan. “The people of the State of Maine, ABS, and many other foundations, businesses and friends have supported the building of the ABS Center, which represents the core of our academic mission,” he said. “It is an essential facility for our students and faculty who are increasingly engaged in cutting-edge research on energy technologies, on the development of clean fuel alternatives, and other industry-relevant scientific study.”
The ABS Center is the first academic building to be constructed on the Maine Maritime Academy campus in 30 years. In November of 2014, Maine voters approved $4.5 million in state funding to support the public-private partnership to build the new facility. The remainder of the funding needed to complete the estimated $14 million project was raised through a lead gift of $2.5 million from ABS (the largest corporate gift to have been received by the Academy), and very generous gifts, pledges and challenge grants from alumni, friends of the college, foundations, and businesses.
“We support Maine Maritime Academy’s mission to provide the best education possible,” said Christopher Wiernicki, “and we are invested in the young people who are making lifetime careers in the maritime industry. The new ABS Center for Engineering, Science, and Research represents our aspirations for the future leaders of the maritime world.”
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 21, 2013, and foundation work began in January of 2014. Construction was completed in approximately 12 months by general contractor, Nickerson & O’Day, Inc. The architect for the project was Harriman Associates.
The Center was opened for classes on January 12, 2015. The 3-story, 30,000-square-foot facility provides state-of-the-art teaching and research laboratories, classrooms, student study spaces, faculty offices and workrooms at the center of the campus.
About Maine Maritime Academy
Maine Maritime Academy is a co-educational, public college on the coast of Maine offering 18 degree programs in engineering, management, science, and transportation. The college serves approximately 950 undergraduate and graduate students in career-oriented programs of study. Maine Maritime Academy was ranked the #1 Best Public College on Money magazine’s Best Colleges list released in August of 2014. The college’s persistence, retention and graduation rates are well above national averages, and the job placement rate is in excess of 90 percent within 90 days of graduation. For more information, visit mainemaritime.edu.
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