Taylor Campbell
Reneé Tremblay
Glen Cove, NY –Webb Institute, a four-year college specializing in naval architecture and marine engineering, has announced that the Academic Year 2018-19 recipients of the Crowley Maritime Corporation’s Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarship are Taylor Campbell (Class of 2019) and Reneé Tremblay (Class of 2020).
Webb’s scholarship selection committee have chosen Tremblay of Bristol, Rhode Island, and Campbell of Altoona, Pennsylvania for their hard work, academic excellence, volunteer efforts, and superb leadership skills that they actively display on and off campus.
Campbell is a very active member of the Webb community. Throughout her time at Webb, she has been a member of the Student Organization, Leadership Committee, and Captain of Webb’s first-ever women’s basketball team. Campbell has also assisted in running campus events and volunteer efforts, including Engineering Day, an event devoted to teaching young children about and stimulating interest in engineering.
Tremblay has been involved with numerous student organizations, volunteer efforts, and community projects during her time at Webb, including Open House and the Summer Engineering Academy. She is Co-Chair of the Leadership Committee as well as Student Public Relations Chair working with Webb’s Communications and Media Relations Department, where she assists in social media marketing, yearbook design, and writing for Webb’s annual publication, Webb News.
“Reneé and Taylor are exemplary leaders” said Dean Matthew Werner. “Webb is proud to have Reneé and Taylor as members of our student body. Their multi-faceted contributions to the community and record of achievement at Webb has made them ideal candidates for the Thomas Crowley Scholarship.”
“The Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarship Program provides assistance to students that demonstrate attributes that Crowley Maritime Corp. and Webb Institute hold essential to our missions. These include leadership, service, and commitment to the maritime industry.” said President R. Keith Michel. “We are most appreciative of Crowley’s ongoing commitment to higher education and look forward to our continued partnership with Crowley Maritime Corp.”
Since 1984, Crowley has provided more than $3 million dollars in scholarship funding for more than 1,000 students studying at maritime academies and other select institutions in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Central America. In 1994, Crowley Chairman and CEO Crowley Jr. established the Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarship Program in honor of his father.
To support this specialized, top-ranked institution, Crowley initiated the Thomas B. Crowley, Sr. Memorial Scholarship at Webb in 2007 and has since given tens of thousands of dollars in support of the school’s students. Crowley’s involvement with Webb took on added significance in 2008 when the company acquired Jensen Maritime Consultants, a leading naval architecture and marine engineering firm headquartered in Seattle. Many Webb graduates are currently employed by Crowley and Jensen in a number of disciplines from naval architecture and marine engineering, to vessel construction management and vessel operations.
About Crowley
Jacksonville-based Crowley Holdings Inc., a holding company of the 126-year-old Crowley Maritime Corporation, is a privately held family and employee-owned company that provides marine solutions, energy and logistics services in domestic and international markets. Crowley operates under four business units: Crowley LOGISTICS, a singular ocean liner and logistics supply chain division; Crowley SHIPPING, which encompasses ownership, operations and management of vessels, including tankers, container ships, tugboats and barges; Crowley FUELS, a fuel transportation, distribution and sales division that also provides liquefied natural gas (LNG) and related services; and Crowley SOLUTIONS, which focuses on government services, including vessel management for government agencies, as well as engineering, project management, naval architecture through its subsidiary Jensen Maritime, and marine salvage and emergency response through its 50 percent ownership in Ardent Global. Additional information about Crowley, its subsidiaries and business units may be found at www.crowley.com.
About Webb Institute:
Founded in 1889 by New York-based ship builder William H. Webb, Webb Institute is a highly selective, top-ranked undergraduate institution specializing in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. Building on a 129-year legacy of academic excellence, Webb is the only full-tuition scholarship, private undergraduate program of its kind in the United States, with a maximum of 28 students being accepted into the program each year. Webb Institute’s beautiful, waterfront campus is located in Glen Cove, NY, on the North Shore of Long Island.
For additional information, contact Webb Institute’s Communications Department at (516) 403-5392, or visit our website at, www.webb.edu.
(Photo Caption) Taylor Campbell, Class of 2019, and Renee Tremblay, Class of 2020, recipients of the Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarship. Photo Credit: Taylor Adamczyk, Assistant Director of Media Relations & Communications at Webb Institute.
Media Contact:
Kerri Allegretta, Director of Communications and Media Relations
(516) 403-5392 or ude.bbew@attergellak
Webb Celebrates Official Groundbreaking of Couch Family Academic Center
On Thursday, September 13, 2018, members of the Webb Community gathered to celebrate the official Groundbreaking of the new state-of-the-art Couch Family Academic Center.
The event was attended by members of Webb’s Board of Trustees, Cornerstone Campaign Donors, Carol and Paul Bentel of Bentel & Bentel Architects, DHI Construction led by Howard Dym, the Mayor of Glen Cove, Tim Tenke, Faculty, Administration, and many others.
The celebration, which was held in the Visconti Reception Room, included remarks by Dean Matthew Werner, President R. Keith Michel, Webb Trustee and Campaign Chairman Joseph Cuneo, Carol Bentel FAIA of Bentel & Bentel Architects, and landscape architect Richard Loeffler.
During the ceremony, a plaque was presented to Webb Institute on behalf of Congressman Thomas Suozzi, who extended Webb well-wishes on the construction of the Couch Family Academic Center.
Following the speeches, attendees and students made their way to the back patio of Stevenson Taylor Hall to witness the turning of the soil and a heartfelt speech by Jon Couch, representative of the Couch Family and Cornerstone Campaign Donor, whom the academic center is named after.
“Our family has been extremely fortunate and a principal reason for that good fortune has been William Webb’s vision and generosity,” said Jon Couch. Webb has played a central role in my family for four generations. That being the case, it is a wonderful honor to have the family name associated with this magnificent new facility and we are deeply grateful for the recognition.”
The Couch Family Academic Center is expected to be completed by Fall 2019.
View The Couch Academic Center Groundbreaking video!
Couch Academic Center Groundbreaking from Webb Institute on Vimeo.
Freshman Kevin O’Keefe ’22 Reflects on Orientation Week
by Kevin O’Keefe ’22
When I first arrived at Webb, I was honestly afraid of what was waiting for me. I had talked over the summer with most of my classmates prior to Orientation Week, but I still had not really known these people that I would be spending the next four years with. Thankfully, because of the activities and events my new classmates and I took part in during Orientation Week, we were able to become close and get to know each other very well in a short amount of time.
Orientation, even though it lasted less than a week, was the best time I have ever had. It felt like a lifetime of fun experiences, with each day feeling like several. We had so many great experiences, from the clue run, which helped me learn the layout of the school, to the scavenger hunt in New York City. The scavenger hunt was by far the greatest of the activities we did during the week. The scavenger hunt had us do so many crazy things throughout the city for points. My favorite of all of them was trying on wedding dresses in Macy’s with my group. Oddly enough, the people there were really into it and they all wanted to take videos and pictures with us.
Going into my first year as a Webbie, I hope to learn to properly manage this new environment and still have fun!
Kevin and his classmates participating in the wedding dress challenge during the NYC Scavenger Hunt.
Webb Family Remembers First Lady Peggy Michel
On Saturday, August 25, 2018, the Webb Community gathered on campus to celebrate and remember a special member of the Webb Family, First Lady, Peggy Sylvia Michel who passed away suddenly on July 22.
The celebration included beautiful reflections on Peggy’s life by many who knew and loved her including her husband, President R. Keith Michel; son, Dr. Joshua Michel; Webb’s Chairman of the Board, Bruce S. Rosenblatt; Vice President of the Webb Alumni Association, Victoria Dlugokecki ’88; Pastor David H. Collins ’73, Dean Matthew Werner, and Webb students Ashley Dias ’19, Andrew Pidduck ’19, Jonathan Wang ’20, and Kevin Lu ’21. Each speaker shared stories of Peggy’s kindness, warmth, generosity, and love for Webb.
In memory of Peggy and her love of gardening, she was a key caretaker of Webb’s Student Garden, the newly instituted Peggy Michel Memorial Fund will support the naming of the Peggy Michel Garden overlooking Webb’s future academic center and the Long Island Sound, as well as the Peggy Michel Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Contributions in Peggy’s memory can be made to Webb Institute.
Obituary:
Peggy Sylvia Michel died on July 22, 2018, at the age of 64. An experienced scuba diving enthusiast, Peggy died from cardiac arrest following a shallow dive in the Cayman Islands.
Peggy was born in Paris, France, and immigrated to the U.S. at an early age. She attended the Grace Downs School in Glen Cove, NY, at which time she met her future husband, Keith. Peggy began her professional life working in customer service at Pan American Airways in Manhattan and enjoyed traveling the world. Upon the birth of her son Joshua, she was a stay-at-home mom for several years, after which she studied to become a pastry chef and co-founded a wedding cake business in the San Francisco Bay Area. This was followed by a twenty-one-year career working in various administrative roles at the University of California Office of the President in Oakland, California.
In 2013, when her husband was appointed President of Webb Institute, the nation’s premier college of naval architecture and marine engineering, Peggy readily transitioned into the role of “First Lady” at the college. At Webb, she quickly gained a reputation as a gracious host, mentor, and confidant to students, staff, alumni, and friends. Peggy was known for her engaging smile, warmth, and collegial nature. She had a passion for gardening, cooking, knitting, and quilting. Most of all, she enjoyed offering a kind word and helping hand to those in need.
Peggy is survived by her husband of 43 years, Keith, son Josh and his wife Beth, her sister Isabelle McVickar, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins whom she loved very much.
Webb Recognized by Princeton Review as #15 Best Career Services, Ranks High in Additional Categories
Webb Institute is ranked in The Princeton Review’s latest edition of its college guide, The Best 384 Colleges, including being named #15 Best Career Services.
Webb was also received honors in the following ranking lists:
#5 Students Study the Most
#8 Most Accessible Professors
#20 Their Students Love These Colleges
Webb also received high marks in other areas, including 96 in Academics and 96 in Quality of Life according to The Princeton Review survey that asked students to rate their schools on dozens of topics and report their experiences.
A student surveyed for the guide boasted about Webb’s career services and premier internship program, “Work terms give each student a feel for industry sectors and allow them to make improved career decisions when selecting a first job – You’ll learn something in the classroom and then see it in action.”
One student said, “Professors are brilliant and since they all have practical work experience they are able to make our education applicable to what we’ll be doing once we graduate.”
“Students become best friends very quickly, giving everyone a great support system both academically and socially,” said another student noted.
One of The Princeton Review’s most popular guides, The Best 384 Colleges rankings are based on surveys of 138,000 students at 384 top colleges that includes a wide representation by region, size, selectivity, and character. Published annually since 1992, the book includes detailed profiles of the colleges with rating scores in 8 categories as well as ranking lists of top 20 schools in 62 categories.
For more information on the rankings and methodology visit www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/how-it-works
Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation Grant to Fund Need-Based Scholarships for Webb Students
by R. Keith Michel
President, Webb Institute
When William Webb established Webb’s Academy, his intent was to provide an education free of all costs to qualified applicants whose families could not otherwise afford the cost of an education. In the 1960’s, Webb faced compelling economic challenges that drove us to begin charging room and board. Today, room and board and others costs of attendance over and above our full-tuition scholarship run about $16,500 per year. We have found that the cost of attendance is inhibiting our ability to recruit the diverse group of economically disadvantaged high school students. In recent years, some Webb students have accumulated debt of $40,000 to $60,000 during their four years at Webb. Although all our students secure good jobs when they graduate and successfully pay back their federal student loans, we would like to reduce the debt load they face as they start their professional lives.
We are very pleased to announce that the Long Island-based Gardiner Foundation has awarded Webb a grant of $250,000. This grant will enable Webb to meet the “demonstrated need” of our students for the next three years. Webb will make the best effort to solicit contributions to endow room & board scholarships so this scholarship program can continue after the third year.
“Demonstrated Need” is a term that describes the cost for a student to attend college in excess of their “Expected Family Contribution” (EFC). The EFC is computed by the federal government when students file an application (FAFSA) seeking federal loans, and is primarily a function of family income, family assets, and the number of family members attending college. We believe all students and their family should make a contribution to their education at Webb, regardless of financial status. Therefore, we have established an expected minimum contribution of between $3,000 and $5,000 which may be covered by Subsidized federal loans if the student so chooses. The generous grant from the Gardiner Foundation provides sufficient funds to enable Webb to meet all need in excess of this minimum expected contribution. Thus, no Webb should graduate with excessive debt. With this program, Webb joins a list of approximately 70 colleges and universities in the United States that meet the demonstrated need of their students.
(From left to right) Webb Institute Director of Development, Anthony Zic, Director of Admissions and Student Affairs, Lauren Carballo, Executive Director of RDLG Foundation, Kathryn Curran, Webb Board of Trustee, Joseph Cuneo, and President R. Keith Michel. Photo Credit: Robert David Lion Gardiner (RDLG) Foundation
Webb Institute is featured on CNBC!
At this college, every student gets a full-tuition scholarship and a job
- Webb Institute is one of only nine colleges in the country that is completely tuition-free.
- Students there must commit to an intense focus on naval architecture and marine engineering and cover other expenses besides tuition.
Photo Credit: Jonathan Wang, Webb Institute student, Class of 2020
Spread over 26 acres on Long Island’s North Shore, with a private beach, is a tiny but top-ranked college that offers each and every one of its students a full-tuition scholarship for all four years.
Of course, there’s a catch.
At Webb Institute — one of only nine colleges in the country that is completely tuition free — there is just one academic option: a double major in naval architecture and marine engineering.
“When you are applying to Webb, you have to love boats,” said Lauren Carballo, the admissions director.
Thanks to a hefty endowment and devoted alumni, Webb has been able to maintain free tuition even as such promises become increasingly rare. Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, for example, dialed back its commitment that education be “as free as air and water” and began offering students only half-tuition scholarships in 2014.
“We’re the only engineering school in the country that offers no tuition,” Carballo said. Still, “a lot of people don’t know we exist.”
Like winning the lottery
College applicants, however, are catching on. The number of applications is on the rise although the enrollment size remains less than 30 students per class. (Webb currently has a 27 percent acceptance rate.)
“For the right student, it’s like winning the lottery,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief and author of “Colleges That Pay You Back.” Every graduate leaves school with a job in the field and an average starting salary of over $71,000, according to the school (higher than both Harvard and Yale).
Kevin Prichard, 23, graduated in June and accepted an offer at Austal, a ship building company in San Diego, working as a naval architect. He said his experience job hunting was “very easy” although his course load over four years was not. “It is a lot of work and the school pushes you.”
The college founded by the shipbuilder William Webb in 1889 is not for every engineering-minded high school student.
Although the one-two punch of skyrocketing tuition costs and sluggish wage growth has caused families to pay more attention to such pre-professional programs, particularly in STEM fields, “make sure you love the discipline,” cautioned said Eric Greenberg, president of Greenberg Educational Group, a New York-based consulting firm. “It’s going to be very focused.”
There’s more to consider beyond price
In addition, there are still room and board and other expenses to contend with, he added. “When most people hear full tuition they think there’s nothing to pay but there is a non-tuition part which can be very expensive.”
To cover those costs at Webb, Prichard took out federal loans and graduated with a student debt tab of about $30,000, he said. (Across the country, seven in 10 seniors graduate with debt, owing about $29,650 per borrower, according to the most recent data from the Institute for College Access & Success.)
“Somebody could go to community college for a lot less than the room and board at many colleges,” Greenberg added.
Greenberg recommends visiting comparable schools before making a decision based on price alone, to make sure that a specific school is the right fit.
“If someone gets in to a school like Webb and they’re not particularly interested in it, that’s not going to work out well down the road.”
Class of 2020 Recreates Famous Artwork
Each year, Professor Richard Harris’s Western Culture II class participates in an art project that requires them to recreate a painting or illustration. The goal of the project is for the student to learn to look closely at-and really see a work of art, as well as acquire a better sense of the roles of composition and color.
This year, the Class of 2020 recreated a painting or illustration from the Post-Impressionist period or later.
Upon completion, each student work of art was exhibited in the Visconti Reception Room to be viewed during graduation week, June 15-17.
View student artwork below.
Webb Institute Joins The Common Application for 2018-2019
Students applying to Webb Institute for 2018-2019 will have the ability to do so through The Common Application, a powerful online college application platform that serves and supports more than three million applicants, teachers, and counselors across the United States and around the world every year.
By becoming a Common App member, Webb will gain exposure to students who may not have otherwise considered the institution while making the application, including fee waiver, process more efficient. One-third of the more than one million Common App applicants are the first in their family to pursue a college degree.
“Webb Institute is thrilled to finally be joining the Common App for this upcoming year,” said Webb Institute’s Director of Admissions and Student Affairs, Lauren Carballo. Being available on the Common App will help to support our ongoing mission of making Webb more accessible to all students.”
In addition to providing a single, online application and 24/7/365 support for all students applying to member colleges and universities, the Common App connects applicants to financial aid and scholarship tools, digital portfolios, virtual mentors, a Virtual Counselor, and a library of resources for counselors, advisors, and recommenders working with students to complete their college applications that includes Spanish language translations.
“The diversity of our membership is one of our greatest strengths,” said Jenny Rickard, President & CEO of The Common Application. “Through membership with The Common Application, Webb Institute has demonstrated a shared commitment to pursuing access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. Thanks to our members, all students, regardless of their background, have the opportunity to easily apply to the college or university that will help them achieve their best future.”
Students can create a Common App account now because their account will roll over from year to year. Beginning this year, Common App members will also begin using the newly introduced Common App for transfer, a separate application designed exclusively to meet the needs of transfer and adult student populations.
The Common Application is a not-for-profit member organization committed to the pursuit of access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. Each year, more than one million students, one-third of whom are first-generation, apply to college through the Common App’s online application. Founded in 1975, the Common App serves more than 800-member colleges and universities worldwide.
Webb’s application will be available on the Common App on August 1, 2018.
To learn more, visit commonapp.org, follow @CommonApp, and #CommonApp.
Dr. Kirsi K. Tikka to Deliver 2018 Commencement Address
Dr. Kirsi K. Tikka will deliver the 2018 commencement address at Webb Institute on Saturday, June 16, 2018. She will also be awarded Webb’s honorary doctorate. Dr. Tikka is a marine industry leader and longstanding advocate for enhancing safety and environmental performance in the maritime industries. Commencement will take place on campus on Saturday, June 16, 2018.
Dr. Kirsi Tikka is the Executive Vice President and Senior Maritime Advisor at ABS (American Bureau of Shipping). Prior to this role, she served as the organization’s Executive Vice President of Global Marine, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Europe Division, Vice President of Engineering and other senior leadership roles. Earlier in her career, she worked for Chevron Shipping in San Francisco and Wartsila Shipyards in Finland.
Before joining ABS in 2001, Dr. Tikka was professor of Naval Architecture at Webb Institute. In addition to teaching, she carried out research on structural strength of tankers and risk analysis and was actively involved in the US National Research Council Marine Board studies on double hull tankers.
Dr. Tikka has a Doctorate in Naval Architecture and Offshore Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture from the University of Technology in Helsinki.
She is a Fellow of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) and recipient of its David W. Taylor medal for notable achievement in naval architecture, a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA), and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.