News

Woods Hole, MA – After a comprehensive search, Sea Education Association (SEA) has named Dr. Mark Long as its new Academic Dean. A member of the SEA faculty since 2015, Long currently serves as Associate Dean of Academic Partnerships and Associate Professor of History.

Long received a B.A. in political science from Auburn University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in history from Loyola University, Chicago.  Prior joining SEA, he taught on the faculty at University of Central Florida. Most recently, Long directed SEA’s 50^th anniversary symposium, Sea State: Reflections of 50 Years at SEA.

As Academic Dean, Long will guide the SEA faculty and manage the organization’s many academic offerings, including undergraduate, high school, gap, virtual and partner programs.

Long was selected from four finalists and dozens of applicants. He replaces Interim Academic Dean Chris Nolan, who has served in that role since the retirement of Dean Paul Joyce in 2021.

“After a thorough national search that elicited a strong pool of applicants, Mark was identified as the candidate whose strengths best matched the needs of SEA.  His passion for the SEA mission, contacts with partner institutions and within the Woods Hole community, and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical as SEA continues to engage students in our ocean-focused programs,” said SEA President Peg Brandon.

“SEA is well positioned to capitalize on a growing awareness of the importance of the issues we have been focused on for decades: environmental problems broadly defined, a focus on ocean health as a key indicator of those problems, the nexus between environmental and human health and justice, and the importance of field-based research to help shape students into citizens who are prepared to tackle these seemingly intractable problems. To move forward, though, we must confront the vexing problems of diversity, equity and inclusion as well,” said Long.

Long is active in the Woods Hole community and serves on the Woods Hole Diversity Action Committee, the Black History Month Planning Committee, and the Native American Heritage Month Planning Committee.  An active and experienced hiker and outdoorsman, Mark resides in Falmouth with his wife, Cheri Gherst, and daughter, Annabelle.

About Sea Education Association (SEA)
Sea Education Association (SEA) is an internationally recognized leader in undergraduate, gap year, and high school ocean education. For 50 years and more than one million nautical miles sailed, SEA has educated students about the world’s oceans through its Boston University accredited study abroad program. SEA is based on Cape Cod in the oceanographic research community of Woods Hole, Massachusetts and has two tall-ship sailing research vessels: the SSV Corwith Cramer, operating in the Atlantic Ocean, and the SSV Robert C. Seamans, operating in the Pacific. In 2016, SEA was honored with the National Science Board’s Public Service Award for its role in promoting the public understanding of science and engineering. In 2018, the National Maritime Historical Society presented Sea Education Association with the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Maritime Education.

Contact: Douglas Karlson, Director of Communications | 508-444-1918 | [email protected] | www.sea.edu