The Boat School will be ending its operations under Husson University after its obligations have been met with all current students during the 2011‑2012 school year. After a thorough review of its operations, the Husson board of trustees made the determination at a meeting held on April 20.
     Although the future for The Boat School is now uncertain, the school itself will not be moved out of Eastport. It could continue to operate under another accredited institution, working either through the yacht manufacturer David Marlow, who is proposing to purchase the property, or the nonprofit Friends of The Boat School, who own the legal rights to the name.
     In a prepared statement Husson President Robert Clark said, "Husson University is proud of the progress that has been made to preserve employment and educational opportunities within the City of Eastport by rebuilding and sustaining The Boat School over these past three years." The school previously had been operated by Washington County Community College.
     Clark noted, "When Husson assumed responsibility for The Boat School there were two students enrolled. Current enrollment is now at 30 students." Under Husson's oversight, The Boat School has had 19 graduates, and this year there will be an additional 15 graduates, 10 in the two‑year program and five in the one‑year program. The students have all completed a program of study that has prepared them well for entry into the marine industry.
     "Husson remains firmly committed to its obligations to all existing students," said Dr. Lynne Coy‑Ogan, Husson provost. "During the 2011‑2012 academic year, each and every student will be afforded the opportunity to complete their course of study."
     In an interview Clark explains that until the City of Eastport and Marlow Yachts reach a purchase and sale agreement, Husson cannot make a commitment about whether it will finish out the final year for its students at the Eastport location. Marlow has offered a purchase proposal to the City of Eastport for the land and buildings where The Boat School is operated to start a boat repair facility with an educational component, among other plans. The present Boat School site is one of a number of options for next year that the university will be considering in the near future. The university's primary focus, he notes, is the commitment it has to the second year students' final year of study, which needs to be convenient and with the right curriculum in place.
     Clark explains that the additional financial investment that Husson was contemplating if it were to have continued the program would have been focused on meeting changing industry trends. "In a review of the program and the future opportunities it became clear that without further significant investment The Boat School would not be able to sustain its excellent instructional program and would not be independently viable," said Clark. "In addition, the City of Eastport has made it clear that it can no longer bear the costs of facility operations and that we would need to assume those additional operational costs."
     When the university took over the school's operation, it received ownership to all the facility's equipment. The future need of upgrading the equipment came up as a result of a conversation with David Marlow, who Clark says "brought this to our attention." During a conversation between Husson representatives and Marlow, the yacht builder noted the increasing movement in the marine trades industry from wood construction to composites. Clark adds, "We would need to update our equipment, training, program changes." Husson, he says, could not have justified that kind of expense, while an active boat facility might bring in the revenue necessary to build program changes. As for the equipment, he says that the university has been approached by a number of parties about purchasing it, but active discussions are not taking place yet.
     The university is especially appreciative of the City of Eastport's role as a partner. Clark says, "We as a university have wanted to be very open to the Eastport community's needs" and not "jump into the fray" because, he adds, it is important for Eastport to evaluate the property and a use for it that would best serve the city. "The announcement by the city that a yacht manufacturer is interested in purchasing the city site associated with The Boat School and establishing a manufacturing facility with an apprenticeship program that could provide up to 100 jobs is an affirmation of our efforts to develop the school into a viable undertaking," said Clark. "We feel the time is right for us to make a transition and move our resources elsewhere."