Craig H. Allen Sr., Distinguished Visiting Professor of Maritime Studies at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and a Resident Fellow in the Academy’s Center for Maritime Policy and Strategy, discusses the Costa Concordia disaster and in Fox News and The New London Day. Read below for excerpts and links to the articles:

Fox News "The Costa Concordia disaster and lessons from two 'Williams'": http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/01/19/costa-concordia-disaster-and-lessons-from-two-williams/#ixzz1jwRC0tDr

Even while rescue efforts were ongoing, many who have watched the Costa Concordia tragedy unfold off Italy’s Tuscan islands have now turned their attention to the master’s conduct --particularly his hasty departure from the capsized vessel and his later defiance of coast guard orders to go back aboard the ship and assist in the evacuation. 

 Most of the questions I have been hearing concern his legal obligation as the ship’s master to his passengers and crew. Few asked about his moral obligation as a captain. Perhaps it is a sign of the times.

 As I struggle to put the Concordia episode in perspective, both as a teacher and a retired professional mariner, I looked back to two historical cases that stand out for me. 

The New London Day, "Envision a cruise ship capsizing in Arctic seas": http://www.theday.com/article/20120122/OP05/301229951

The tragic loss of the Italian-flag cruise ship Costa Concordia in the Tuscan waters off Italy's Isola del Giglio on Jan. 13 provides a sobering warning to planners charged with preparing for the coming arrival of similar cruise ships off the Arctic coasts of the United States and Canada. Organizers for an April conference on the Arctic to be held at the Coast Guard Academy in New London will be closely studying the incident in the coming months.

It is not hard to imagine the greater tragedy that could result if a similar accident occurred in Arctic waters, with water temperature near the freezing point and the wind-chilled air temperature often even lower.

Coast Guard Capt. James Rendon pins a Meritorious Service Medal on the uniform of Capt. Mark B. Case Friday, Oct. 21, 2011, during a retirement ceremony at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer 1st Class NyxoLyno Cangemi

NEW LONDON, Conn. — The chair of the department of mathematics at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy here retired during a ceremony Friday after serving more than 32 years in the U.S. Coast Guard.

A resident of Ledyard, Conn., since his career at the academy began in 1984, U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Mark B. Case served as assistant head of the department of mathematics for five years, associate dean of academics for two years and as the head of the department of mathematics for the past nine years.

Case entered the Coast Guard Academy on June 30, 1975, and received his commission on May 23, 1979. He majored in Mathematical Sciences and graduated with honors.

After graduation, Case served as deck watch officer and operations officer aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Sassafras, a 180-foot buoy tender homeported in Governors Island, N.Y.  He then served as commanding officer of the 82-foot patrol boat Point Francis, homeported in Sandy Hook, N.J. 

Selected for graduate school, Case attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for one year and was awarded a Master of Science in operations research and statistics in 1984.

After graduate school, Case was assigned to the Coast Guard Academy as an instructor in the department of mathematics and was selected and sworn in as a member of the Permanent Commissioned Teaching Staff in 1988.  He attended the University of Rhode Island where he earned his doctorate in applied mathematical sciences.

At the academy, Case served as chair of the Academic Council, Labor-Management Committee, and multiple search committees.  He also served on the Dean’s Cabinet, Faculty Senate, Curriculum Committee and Women’s Softball coaching staff.

Case accepted a position as the associate professor in the department of science and mathematics at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Conn.

During his career, Case received numerous unit, team and individual awards including a Meritorious Service Medal, and he received the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Alumni Association Distinguished Faculty Award in 2008. Case received a second Meritorious Service Medal during the ceremony for his service at the academy.

The citation from the award reads:

CITATION TO ACCOMPANY THE AWARD OF
THE MERITORIOUS SERVICE MEDAL

TO

 CAPTAIN MARK B. CASE 
UNITED STATES COAST GUARD

Captain Case is cited for meritorious service in the performance of duty as Mathematics Department Head, U. S. Coast Guard Academy, from August 2002 to August 2011.

Captain Case displayed outstanding leadership in guiding the Department to excellence in scholarship, national prominence and support of Coast Guard strategic goals. Captain Case promoted faculty and student opportunities at intellectual centers of excellence such as NSA, NASA, and National Laboratories. His support led to faculty involvement in the Operational Risk Assessment Model that won the 2010 Coast Guard Innovation Award.

Captain Case coordinated over 60 capstone projects including the Selected Re-enlistment Bonus Analysis which was implemented Coast Guard-wide, saved millions of dollars, and immediately created financial options for 6,000 enlisted personnel. He improved the capstone program from one that lacked sufficient project submissions to one held in high esteem that directly receives flag officer requests for analysis.

Under Captain Case’s leadership, the major doubled its graduates, achieved 35 percent female instructors with 40 percent gender and ethnic diversity in the rotating military pipeline. Captain Case upgraded the now state-of-the art computer lab and implemented critical computer curriculum changes. He initiated a middle school tutoring program, implemented the 4-5-2 mathematics curriculum for at-risk cadets and hosted the annual Mathcounts competition for over 300 Connecticut students.

He achieved an extremely high level of staff involvement in crucial Academy duties such as Director of Advising, Institute for Leadership and NCAA representative and attained prestigious recognition for faculty at the DoD Women’s History Month Ceremony.

Captain Case's dedication and devotion to duty are most heartily commended and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard.

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Timothy Fitzpatrick was named director of athletics at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy here Friday by Rear Adm. Sandra Stosz, superintendent.

Fitzpatrick, director of athletics at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, Texas, will succeed Dr. Ray Cieplik, who retired in June after more than 40 years of service to the institution.

“Tim’s experience, energy and vision equip him well to advance our mission of developing leaders of character,” said Stosz. “I am very excited to welcome a leader of his caliber to head up our athletics program and further our progress in attaining national prominence.”

Fitzpatrick comes to the academy with considerable experience at a number of the nation’s prominent college athletics programs. Before his time at Texas A&M, he worked as the senior associate athletic director at Indiana University. With the Hoosiers, he was responsible for the internal administration of the department, which included facilities management and oversight of the football and women’s basketball programs. Prior to that, he served as the chief operating officer and assistant athletic director for External Operations at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.

“We hate to see Tim go, but his passion for the military academies and his family reflect his integrity, character and dedication,” said Dr. Trent Hill, vice president for Institutional Advancement at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi. “We wish Tim the best and know that the Coast Guard Academy will sail on smooth waters under Tim’s leadership.”

Fitzpatrick holds a master’s degree in sports administration and facility management from Ohio University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Hampden-Sydney College in Hampden-Sydney, Va. 

“I am very honored and humbled to have been selected as the director of athletics at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy,” Fitzpatrick said. “This is a wonderful opportunity for my family and I to play an important role in the professional and person development of leaders of character who will one day defend our nation. I would like to thank Rear Adm. Stosz for choosing me, and I look forward to embracing the mission of the USCGA while striving diligently to create and sustain and intercollegiate athletics program that will achieve competitive success while always reflecting the core values of the academy and the Coast Guard." 

The U.S. Coast Guard Academy sponsors 23 intercollegiate sports (11 men’s, nine women’s and three co-ed) - most of which compete in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference. The Coast Guard is a member of the New England Football Conference and competes in the Bogan Division.

Robert J. Arkeilpane, who initially accepted the position of Director of Athletics at the United States Coast Guard Academy has announced that he has rescinded his decision.  

"After considerable reflection and in the best interests of my family, I have decided to decline the position at the Academy,” Arkeilpane said.  “This has nothing to do with the Academy or their athletic department," he added.  "This was purely a personal decision that was very difficult but in the end the right one for me and my family.”

“I respect Mr. Arkeilpane's decision,” said Rear Admiral Sandra Stosz, Superintendent of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.  “As an organization that understands and values the importance of family in someone's career, we understand his position and wish him the very best in his future endeavors,” Stosz said.

Professor Dan Rose, from the Department of Physical Education will continue to serve as interim Athletics Director until a permanent one is named.

NEW LONDON, Conn. — Rear. Adm. Sandra Stosz, superintendent of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, announced today that Robert J. Arkeilpane has been named the director of athletics.  Arkeilpane, the deputy director of athletics at the University of Cincinnati, will succeed Dr. Ray Cieplik who will retire this summer after having faithfully served the Coast Guard Academy for more than 40 years, with great success, Stosz said.
 
“After an exhaustive national search, Bob stood out with an impressive record of experience from all aspects of intercollegiate athletics.  He is a leader with vision, who I am confident will make a huge contribution towards helping us develop leaders of character and attain national prominence,” said Stosz.  “We are all excited that he has accepted our invitation to lead the academy’s athletic program and I look forward to his positive leadership and support for our athletes, coaches and staff.”
 
Arkeilpane was the number two administrator in charge of UC’s 18-sport intercollegiate athletic program and administered the daily operations of the athletic department.  He has three decades of Division I experience as a student-athlete, coach and administrator.  He joined the Bearcat Department of Athletics in 2005 after serving for three years as associate vice president of the University of Cincinnati Foundation, the private sector fund-raising entity for the UC and its campuses, colleges, departments and units.  Arkeilpane previously had worked for the UC Foundation as college director of development and alumni affairs from 1987-91.
 
He made his return to UC after five successful years as director of athletics at the University of Buffalo. Arkeilpane was named officer-in-charge in UB's Division of Athletics and then served as interim athletics director for 10 months prior to being named director in February 1999. He was promoted to the helm of the Bulls' department of athletics after spending three years as associate athletics director of development at UB starting in 1995. As director of athletics, Arkeilpane had responsibility for all intercollegiate athletic, recreational and intramural athletics programs at Buffalo. UB had 17 sports teams competing in the Mid-American Conference when he was named director. Football joined the conference in the fall of 1999 and under Arkeilpane's leadership, UB added three new sports - women's softball, crew and baseball. Arkeilpane's accomplishments also included guiding UB through the Division I-A reclassification process, positioning UB to comply successfully with all aspects of Title IX.
 
He came to UB from Miami University in Ohio where he was an assistant athletics director from 1993-95.  His career in administration started in Buffalo when he worked as director of annual giving from 1983-85.  Arkeilpane then moved on to an assistant athletics director/development position at Cal State-Fullerton until 1987.  He has also served as a development officer at UC and as assistant athletics director/development at Miami University.
 
A native of Amherst, N.Y., and a standout high school football player at Sweet Home High School, he earned an athletic scholarship to Syracuse, where he was a starting defensive back for three seasons.  Arkeilpane earned his bachelor`s degree in 1981 from Syracuse.  He earned his master's degree from Ohio University while serving as a graduate assistant football coach.
 
The U. S. Coast Guard Academy sponsors 23 intercollegiate sports (11 men’s, 9 women’s and 3 co-ed), most of which  compete in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference. In football, Coast Guard is a member of the New England Football Conference and competes in the Bogan Division.
 
"I am extremely excited to be joining the Coast Guard Academy family and look forward to working with Admiral Stosz and the rest of the academy community,” Arkeilpane said.  “I was very impressed with the coaches and other athletic staff members, who I met during my campus visit, and am anxious to become part of the team."

NEW LONDON, Conn. - After 30 years of service in the U.S. Coast Guard, Capt. Lucretia Flammang retired from the Coast Guard Academy here Friday.

Flammang's Coast Guard career began when she graduated from the academy in 1981 with a Bachelor's of Science in Government. She later earned her Master of Arts degree in English literature from the University of Califorinia, Berkley in 1986 and her doctorate in English from the University of Iowa in 1997.

In 1986, Flammang returned to the Coast Guard Academy as the first female member of the Permanent Commissioned Teaching Staff. Flammang taught in the English department, leading classes on writing, literature and the arts. From 2005 to 2010, she served as Associate Dean of Faculty and Head of Humanities where she oversaw administration of the largest academic major at the academy.

Following her retirement, Flammang is scheduled to attend Yale's School of Theater to continue her involvement in the arts.

Honors:

• Yale University Visiting Faculty Fellowship (1998-2000)
• Ford Foundation Grant, co-recipient, to fund a program in gender studies at the national service academies including 50% of the funding for Leadership in a Gender-Diverse Military: A National Conference (1996-1997)
• United States Secretary of Transportation's Award for Outstanding Achievement in Diversity (November 1997)
• Personal Award for Excellence in Gender Equity, American Association of University Women, Connecticut (1996)

Professional Memberships:

• National Council of Teachers of English
• Northeast Modern Languate Association

NEW LONDON, Conn. – A team of researchers from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and the University of Rhode Island won the Best Paper Overall category November 2010 at the Homeland Security Technology conference sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers in Boston.

The paper, titled Augmenting the DGPS Broadcast with Emergency Information Potential Coverage and Data Rate, was researched and written by Richard Hartnett, a professor in electrical and computer engineering at the Coast Guard Academy; Peter Swaszek, a professor in the department of electrical, computer and biomedical engineering at the University of Rhode Island; and recently deceased Keith Gross, former professor and head of electrical and computer engineering at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

Hartnett, Swaszek and Gross developed methodology that allows the enhanced global positioning system, known as Differential GPS, to simultaneously transmit emergency messages, while still transmitting differential correction messages for the global positioning system. Their methods are considered to be more robust than classical cellular network based dissemination of emergency message traffic. DGPS has been widely used since the 1980s.

DGPS needs additional testing, but Swaszek says he believes the system could be operational within three years.

DGPS could be a good tool for Department of Homeland Security because it uses existing infrastructure and fills a need within the emergency communication system, Swaszek said.

“I am incredibly pleased this research got recognized at the IEEE conference,” said Swaszek. “I hope those in government will see it as a useful tool, and they can give it a push to get it implemented.”

The conference, which was held in November, was designed to bring together leaders in science and technology to foster homeland security technology innovation.

NEW LONDON, Conn. – After more than 27 years of service in the U.S. Coast Guard, Capt. Vincent Wilczynski, of Toledo, Ohio, is scheduled to retire on Oct. 29, 2010, at the Coast Guard Academy’s Officer’s Club.

Wilczynski’s Coast Guard career began in 1983 when he graduated from the Coast Guard Academy with a Bachelors of Science in Engineering in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. He later earned his Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from the Catholic University of America.

Wilczynski served as an engineer on the Coast Guard Cutter Decisive out of St. Petersburg, Fla., and as a naval architect at the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Center in Washington, D.C., before accepting a position at the Coast Guard Academy in July 1992.

During his tenure at the academy, Wilczynski oversaw all aspects of the academy’s Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology programs in Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.

Wilczynski was a primary source in establishing the academy’s Mechanical Engineering major in 1995. He also served as the Chair of Mechanical Engineering, as the Assistant Dean of Academics and as the Dean of Engineering and professor of Mechanical Engineering. Wilczynski oversaw the curriculum content and infrastructure support for 1,000 students, 50 faculty and 10 staff members.

Even with all his personal accomplishments, it was always the people that he interacted with at the academy that inspired him the most. 

“Without a doubt, I am proudest of the cadets and officer graduates that I have worked with,” said Wilczynski. “They all have unbound enthusiasm for their roles in the Coast Guard, and the enthusiasm is infectious. It is a long road, with many challenges, but they too are optimistic and determined. Seeing each class achieve their dream is inspiring.”

Many of Wilczynski’s students found him to be inspiring as well.

“Captain was a great teacher that got through to many cadets in ways that other teachers couldn’t,” said George Greendyk, a second class cadet at the Coast Guard Academy. “His teaching style was certainly one that could get through to many cadets, but many people thought he was great because of his attitude. No topic or problem was ever the end of the world and would never be too strenuous for one of his ‘best classes ever’. He impacted my time at the academy by teaching about not just the material, but how to enjoy life at the academy and have a positive attitude no matter what. I’m sad to see him go, but I know he wants us all to carry on his cheerful attitude.”

After his retirement from the Coast Guard, Wilczynski will become the Deputy Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at Yale University in New Haven, Conn.

“I have the chance to work in some new dimensions and I am looking forward to those new areas,” said Wilczynski. “Though I will be part of the administration, I am anxious to also take on the role of a student as I learn how this complex system of independent programs interacts, organizes and celebrates. I suspect it will take a bit of time to understand the pulse of the university, and I remain optimistic that being in a new and larger environment will be a time of new personal growth.”

Professional awards and affiliations:

• Vice president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• National officer of American Society for Engineering Education
• Evaluator for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
• Member of the State of Connecticut Department of Higher Education Board of Governor’s Advisory Committee on Accreditation
• Serves on the Executive Advisory Board of For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Foundation
• Member of the National Academy of Engineering Committee on Naval Engineering in the 21^st Century
• Serves as a fellow of the American Council on Education
• Serves as a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• Named the 2001 Baccalaureate Colleges Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching – the only national award which recognizes outstanding college teaching
• Received the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Church Medal in 2005 for outstanding contribution in mechanical engineering education

DHS Projects

• Commercial ship rapid boarding system
• Remotely operated shipboard surveying system
• Autonomous aerial vehicle
• Underwater diver propulsion aids
• Remotely operated underwater vehicle
• Autonomous underwater vehicle
• Cargo container scanning device

NEW LONDON -- Dr. Judith Youngman, Professor of Political Science at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, was recently elected to the National Academy of Public Administration. Youngman teaches courses and supervises cadet research projects at the Academy that span public administration, homeland and maritime security policies and civil-military relations.

Established in 1967 and chartered by Congress, the National Academy of Public Administration is a non-profit, independent coalition of top public management and organizational leaders. Youngman joins 680 top leaders from academia, government, nonprofit organizations and the private sector who work to improve the quality, performance and accountability of government. Much of the National Academy’s work is requested by government agencies or Congressional committees faced with particularly difficult or complex management problems. The formal induction will occur in Washington in November.

“For almost twenty years, the U.S. Coast Guard has provided me with unparalleled opportunities to work on some of the most challenging organizational issues facing the Service, the Department of Defense and other federal agencies,” Youngman said. “As a NAPA Fellow, I look forward to future opportunities to contribute to our Nation’s public governance to the best of my abilities."

Youngman previously served as an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences, U.S. Military Academy from 1978 to 1981. Her scholarship and applied work as a political scientist spans public administration and policy and focuses on strategic change in public organizations. Her contributions to Public Administration include serving as Chair, Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS); as a member of the National Academy of Public Administration Panel on Coast Guard Modernization; Senior Advisor, Secretary of the Army Task Force on Sexual Harassment; and Project Director on Intellectual Property, President’s Commission on Industrial Competitiveness.

She is a recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Alumni Association Distinguished Faculty Award. Her co-authored work, Keeping America Competitive: Employment Policy for the Twenty-First Century, was nominated for the Human Resources Council best book award.