The Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut unveiled their new Maritime Center of Excellence this week during a commissioning ceremony.
The new building sits on the banks of the River Thames and overlooks the waterfront. It’s the first major LEED certified green building to update the Academy’s 90-year-old campus.
“The science and engineering innovation lab along with the class and seminar spaces will do so much to advance our efforts,” said Rear Admiral William Kelly, the 42nd superintendent of the Academy. “And they are the first step in our commitment to provide the new and innovative learning spaces that we need for our cadets and our facility to maintain our competitive edge.”
The 20,000-square-foot center is expected to officially open for use in late November, and will expand the Academy’s educational and research capabilities at its campus waterfront.
The price tag was around $25 million with the majority of funding coming from Coast Guard Alumni.
“So, we received gifts from the class of 1942 all the way to the class of 2017,” said Randall Hogan, the chair of the Maritime Center Campaign and member of the Coast Guard class of 1977.
“That’s 75 years of the long blue line. That’s amazing. Forty classes donated to it and five classes donated over a million dollars to this program.”
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