Sea Education Association

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Sea Education Association (SEA) is a private, nonprofit educational organization, and an internationally recognized leader in undergraduate ocean education. Founded in 1971 by Corwith Cramer, Jr. SEA operates two sailing ships traveling throughout both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. For nearly 45 years and over one million nautical miles sailed, SEA has educated students about the world’s oceans through our fully accredited study abroad program, SEA Semester®.

SEA Semester is the leading off-campus Environmental Studies program focused on the oceans. They create environmentally literate leaders who are prepared to address the defining issue of the twenty-first century: the human impact on the environment. They look for motivated students of all majors who are passionate about learning, willing to seek out new challenges, and eager to become part of a unique learning community.

SEA is based on Cape Cod in the oceanographic research community of Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

Mission

SEA is an educational institution dedicated to exploration, understanding and stewardship of the oceans, and to the study of humanity's relationship with the oceans. SEA offers students an interdisciplinary curriculum, on shore and at sea aboard tall ships, that provides challenging voyages of scientific discovery, academic rigor, and personal growth.

History

Founded in 1971, the Sea Education Association spent its first years operated from headquarters in Boston and Chicago, however in 1975, Corwith Cramer had the organization and its sole vessel, the R/V Westward, transferred to its modern-day location in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

Over the years, the program would expand greatly, with more ocean semester programs being offered at a time and the expanding of the SEA fleet. Most of these changes can be accredited to Cramer's successor, Rafe Parker, who replaced him in 1982. Some of the program's most significant changes include, the addition of the SSV Corwith Cramer brigantine in 1987, and the replacement of the R/V Westward with the SSV Robert C. Seamans in 2001.

This tradition of innovation and constant improvement continued under the leadership of John Bullard, who took over as President in 2002 and retired in June 2012. During John's term, SEA developed the Stanford@SEA Program and formed additional partnerships with domestic and foreign universities. SEA's academic offerings expanded from one program to six and the science done by SEA students and faculty became internationally recognized, especially in the area of marine debris.

Peg Brandon, SEA Semester alumna and former SEA Faculty Captain, took the helm as SEA's newest President in 2014.

Vessels

• SSV Corwith Cramer

• SSV Robert C. Seamans

External links

• Sea Education Association
• About SEA from the Woods Hole Diversity Committee
• Sustainability in Polynesian Island Cultures and Ecosystems (SPICE) Atlas