USMMA Superintendent steps down

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today accepted the resignation of Rear Admiral Allen Worley, Superintendent of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York, effective January 4, 2010.

Admiral Worley has held the Superintendent's post for one year. On his departure, Dr. Shashi Kumar, Academic Dean and Assistant Superintendent for Academic Affairs, will act as interim Superintendent. A nationwide search will be conducted to find a permanent successor.

Whoever is chosen will have the joy of dealing with a slather of recommendations made in a GAO report that found that internal control weaknesses resulted in improper sources and uses of funds by the Academy, including transactions with its affiliated organizations. For the report, GAO analyzed selected transactions from fiscal years 2006, 2007, and 2008--before Admiral Worley joined the institution.

"The Merchant Marine Academy has gone through an important rebuilding year and is positioned for reaching the next level," said Secretary LaHood. "We are confident the Academy is on course to continue as the premier institution in maritime education. We appreciate Admiral Worley's service."

Secretary LaHood noted that during the last year several steps were taken to upgrade processes at the Academy and to improve educational opportunities for Midshipmen, including cutting student fees in half, hiring an outside accounting firm to improve Academy finances and assigning a blue ribbon panel of national experts to examine the capital needs of the school and make recommendations for its upgrade.