a note from the dean--

the following is an email i recieved from the dean of my semester at sea, in regards to the recent pirates, bombings in india and the instability of the thailand government----

December 2, 2008

Dear Members of the Spring 2009 Voyage Community:

As president of the Institute for Shipboard Education and as a past executive dean, I have sailed on seven Semester at Sea voyages. I look forward to sharing my next voyage with you, the 98^th in Semester at Sea history, and to witnessing your many personal and academic achievements. The spring 2009 community, selected for its impressive scholarship and commitment to global education, is sure to make a lasting impact. However, please know that there is no higher achievement for Semester at Sea than the safety of our students, faculty, and staff. This has always been true, but the recent bombings in India, political unrest in Thailand, and attacks in the Gulf of Aden require a thorough review of the effect of these events on our current itinerary. Let me take a moment to explain Semester at Sea’s comprehensive data collection and analysis approach to safety.

The Institute for Shipboard Education works closely with senior security experts at the U.S. State Department and other independent risk assessment experts to carefully design and evaluate Semester at Sea itineraries on an on-going basis. Contingency plans are always in place to execute alternative itinerary strategies should any concern arise with regard to piracy or international security. Very often, political unrest and other security threats are isolated to one specific area of a country. We are careful to avoid those areas and we can cancel field trips or change itineraries at any time. All the countries on our program are also common destinations for other study abroad programs as well as U.S. tourists and business travelers. As part of our Health and Safety Awareness program, the evening before arrival in a specific country, all students are required to attend a pre-port briefing about country-specific health and safety concerns. Frequently, Semester at Sea arranges for local U.S. Embassy officials to board the ship the day of arrival to provide additional safety briefings.

Semester at Sea’s floating campus, the MV Explorer, is the fastest passenger ship of its kind. This speed gives us greater flexibility to avoid areas of concern and to change itineraries, which decreases the impact on our schedule. Unlike a land-based campus, we have the great advantage of mobility. In the event of sudden security concerns, we can simply cancel our visit to a given country. When nearing the Gulf of Aden we enforce a 24-hour security watch and maintain constant contact with international maritime agencies that monitor vessel traffic. In addition, we deploy anti-piracy protocols to deter potential intruders and we are instituting additional security measures. The physical characteristics of our vessel and the heavily patrolled and monitored route we plan to follow this spring, which is also traveled by hundreds of other ships daily, reinforces our preparations for a safe passage. Having said that, we continue to evaluate world conditions daily and we have several options available if we determine that it is necessary to change our course. We are currently in discussions with the U.S. State Department, maritime security experts, as well other private risk assessment firms to help us make informed decisions. If anything should change, we will immediately notify you.

To keep you informed of our comprehensive health and safety practices, we publish a dedicated section on the Semester at Sea website: www.semesteratsea.org/our-ship/overview/health-safety.php. I urge you to familiarize yourself with these practices and to contact our office with questions at info@semesteratsea.org. We will continue to seek out the most effective safety measures available in our efforts to keep our floating campus and the Semester at Sea voyage community safe.

Next month we will embark together on the 98^th voyage of Semester at Sea. I am confident that this will be a rewarding and memorable experience for each of us and I am honored to be sharing this wonderful opportunity with you. Thank you for your support in making this a safe and academically successful voyage.

Sincerely,

Les McCabe
President, Institute for Shipboard Education
Spring 2009 Executive Dean

47 days to go..