A recent report by the National Academy of Public Administration concluded that the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point has “lost its way.”  The congressionally ordered review of the federal merchant marine academy determined that the school was beset with problems including aging facilities, a striking lack of diversity, and a curriculum that was failing to keep up with the needs of an evolving shipping industry.

“The findings and recommendations of this report address long-standing issues that put the safety and health of the midshipmen and the entire USMMA community in peril,” wrote Teresa W. Gerton, the public administration academy’s chief executive.

In early November, the academy paused a program that sends cadets to sea aboard commercial ships, after a female midshipman at the school shared an account of being raped by a crew member while serving at sea. This is the second suspension of the program in the last six years over allegations of sexual harassment and assault.

From the Washington Post: The new report, based on an investigation carried out between May 2020 and October 2021, says the school is doing too little to protect students from assaults and stamp out sexual harassment on campus and at sea, but makes clear its problems are far more widespread and affect almost every aspect of life there.

The review’s authors issued 67 recommendations and said it was up to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to launch a task force and overhaul the Kings Point, N.Y., school.

“While USMMA is producing licensed merchant mariners, it is not meeting many other requirements and expectations for a federal agency and federal service academy, and it is not adequately planning and prepared for the future,” said Judith Youngman, the chairwoman of the review panel and emeritus professor of political science at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

The Department of Transportation said it has already taken steps to start modernizing facilities at the academy and to revamp sexual assault protections. The department said it was establishing the task force recommended by the reviewers.

“USMMA students are remarkable leaders committed to serving the nation and supporting positive change,” said Lucinda Lessley, the acting Maritime Administrator. “They deserve a modern, safe, and inclusive learning environment where they have the training and resources that will prepare them to succeed in the U.S. merchant marine and in our armed forces.”