Marty Walsh former United States Secretary of Labor and present Executive Director of the National Hockey Players’ Association addresses graduates during the Massachusetts Maritime Academy’s 180th Commencement Exercises
Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA), a top-ranked public university with undergraduate degree programs focusing on science, engineering, technology, math, and business that blend academics and experiential learning, held its 180th Commencement Exercises on June 17th, conferring some 350 undergraduate and 50 graduate degrees, paving the way for the men and women to begin their careers in the worldwide maritime industry.
Marty Walsh, the former United States Secretary of Labor and present Executive Director of the National Hockey Players’ Association, provided the keynote speech during the exercises, extolling graduates for remaining focused during the past four years during the height of the pandemic.
“Some of you lost loved ones, some of you had mental health struggles – I’ve been there, and many others have as well,” said Walsh. “But whatever you faced, and despite all these challenges, you kept going, you persevered, you proved yourselves worthy. You earned this degree in ways no one has done before in the history of our nation. You did it and no one can ever take it away from you.”
Cadets cast their covers in the air following Commencement Exercises
Walsh and Capt. Kenneth Turner, President and CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, received honorary degrees during the commencement exercises.
Walsh served as Mayor of Boston from 2014 to 2021 and as United States Secretary of Labor under the Biden/Harris administration from 2021 to March of 2023, resigning his position as Secretary of Labor to accept his present post as Executive Director of the National Hockey League Players’ Association.
Turner, a retired U.S. Navy Captain and submarine nuclear weapons system officer with 26 years of service, is at the helm of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) in Waltham, Massachusetts. Prior to joining the MLSC, Turner served as Director of Diversity & Inclusion/Compliance with MassPort.
A number of members of the graduating class of 2023 were commissioned prior to the June 17th Commencement Exercises. Fourteen graduating cadets accepted commissions into the United States Marine Corps and the United States Navy Reserve during a June 15th ceremony held on the USS Constitution, with United States Army and Massachusetts and Vermont Army National Guard commissions taking place on June 16th.
“Commencement and the acceptance of commissions are extraordinarily momentous occasions in an Academy cadet’s life,” said Rear Admiral Francis X. McDonald, USMS, president of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. “As we extend our congratulations and farewells to the outstanding class of 2023, we stand confident that the education and experiences these fine graduates received at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy will serve them well in their careers and lives in general. We expect great things from our cadets – and we are never disappointed.”
About Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA): MMA is a fully accredited, four-year, co-educational state university offering Bachelor and Master of Science degrees that are highly regarded in the worldwide maritime industry and beyond. For more than 100 years, MMA has prepared women and men for exciting and rewarding careers on land and sea. As the nation’s finest co-ed maritime college, MMA challenges students to succeed by balancing a unique regimented lifestyle with a typical four-year college environment. Located on Cape Cod, at the mouth of the scenic Cape Cod Canal, Massachusetts Maritime Academy is the ideal college to pursue the love for the ocean, concern for the environment, interest in math and science, and a thirst for adventure. Follow MMA on FB: @massmaritime, @MassMaritime.Advancement; IG: @massmaritime, @mmacademyalumni; Twitter: @MMAadmissions, @MMAcademyAlumni; YouTube: Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
