eSML December 2008: A Year of Planning Ahead

Shoals Marine Laboratory has transformed the lives of thousands of people. I know this because I see it first hand and hear so many wonderful stories from alumni and friends. I also know this personally. For 35 years, SML has been transforming my life—from student days at Cornell, when John Anderson and Chuck Walker taught invertebrate zoology in the laboratory next to Jack Kingsbury’s office using specimens from Appledore, to my first teaching experiences at SML with J.B. Heiser and Ric Martini in the 1980s, to Jim Morin’s great progress that so impressed me with SML’s long-term potential, to my own service as director since 2005.

Because of the economic downturn, however, we must scale back both expenses and plans. Decisions we make today will reverberate for decades to come. I find myself weighing exciting long-term options against the realities of SML’s business model—which, quite frankly, has never worked very well—to reach long-term stability for this organization that we love so much. The year now ending was, in many respects, remarkable at SML: strong enrollments, wonderful courses, excellent undergraduate interns, and smooth operations delivered by a professional and tightly knit staff excited about SML’s future. While I am confident that we will build a wonderful future for SML, weighing short-term losses against that vision is challenging.

To help us make the best possible decisions about SML’s future, we will undertake a rigorous strategic planning effort in the year ahead. We will solicit input from SML’s stakeholders to explore five areas in detail: 1) Academic Planning, to better integrate SML with on-campus programs at Cornell and UNH; 2) Capital Projects, including sustainable energy and wastewater upgrades for Appledore; 3) Campaign for SML, targeting scholarship aid, internship support, sustainability projects, and funds to purchase Appledore Island; 4) SML Governance, especially strong interactions between Cornell and UNH; and 5) SML in the Context of the Seacoast, emphasizing volunteers, relationships with other organizations, and links to seacoast communities. I will write more about our planning effort next month, when we kick off our data-gathering phase.

In closing, I am very grateful for your financial support, helpful advice, and confidence in SML’s future. Supporters who contribute funds, attend volunteer weekends, share recruitment materials with prospective students, and help with planning and operations make a tremendous difference and give SML its unique character. Please continue your support in 2009!


Willy Bemis

Kingsbury Director of Shoals Marine Laboratory Back to the Top