Center for the Study of Marine Policy renamed in honor of Gerard Mangone

Gerard Mangone with the plaque dedicating the new Gerard J. Mangone Center for Marine Policy

9:10 a.m., Oct. 28, 2003--Gerard J. Mangone, University Research Professor of International and Maritime Law, was honored in a special ceremony on Oct. 23 renaming the UD’s Center for the Study of Marine Policy as the “Gerard J. Mangone Center for Marine Policy.”

Carolyn A. Thoroughgood, dean of the College of Marine Studies (CMS), and University President David P. Roselle hosted the ceremony, which was held in Bayard Sharp Hall. Thoroughgood praised Mangone for his outstanding academic credentials, his international reputation and his leadership skills in both organizational and administrative capacities, calling him “one of our most distinguished faculty members.”

Roselle commended Mangone for his thoughtful commitment and generous donation of $300,000 to the center. He also recognized Mangone’s continuing contributions despite reaching UD’s official retirement age more than a decade ago, affectionately dubbing the octogenarian as “UD’s version of the Energizer bunny.”

Numerous guests—from former students to University colleagues—took the podium to acknowledge Mangone. Biliana Cicin-Sain, professor of marine policy and current director of the center, extended thanks from colleagues around the world and credited Mangone for his vision in “anticipating the need to specialize in this new field” of marine policy. She also presented him with two tongue-in-cheek awards as “Best Dressed” for his “Fred Astairelike” appearance and “Best Athlete” for his agility in climbing the flights of stairs to the third floor of Robinson Hall.

Lee Anderson, professor of marine policy and director of the Marine Policy Program, offered some insight into his colleague of almost 30 years. He described Mangone’s well-known habit of providing extensive background information in academic discussions. According to Anderson, he does this because it provides the basis of a very simple, but elegant framework for policy analysis.

“Thank you for being an excellent mentor to us all,” Anderson said. “It is a privilege to have worked with you. Renaming the center is well-deserved.”

Former student Kevin Krick, who received his master’s degree in marine policy under Mangone in 2000, is now a special assistant in the U.S. Office of Maritime Administration. He, too, was grateful for having the opportunity to publicly thank his adviser.

“Dr. Mangone gave me the best advice I ever received,” Krick said. “He is the reason I am in the post I am in now. Dr. Mangone helped take my interests and turn them into skills—he was there to start the whole task and help move it along.”

Mangone joined UD in 1972 as professor of marine studies and political science and organized the Marine Policy Program in the College of Marine Studies. In 1973, he created the Center for the Study of Marine Policy—the first research center at an American university to study the legal, political and economic issues facing the ocean, seabed and coastal zone—and was its director for the next 16 years.

He has taught nine different courses, supervised some 40 students in receiving a master’s or doctoral degree and established several different educational programs relating to marine policy and the law. He continues to maintain an active research program and has traveled overseas every year for the past 54 years on teaching and research assignments. In addition, he is a prolific writer and editor and has just recently published “The Legal Regime of the Turkish Straits,” which is the 13th book in his edited series “International Straits of the World.”

“For the past 32 years, Gerard Mangone has encouraged the entire University of Delaware to aspire to academic excellence,” Provost Dan Rich said. “His impact has gone far beyond any single college—it’s been truly campuswide. The University of Delaware is a far better university today than when he first came, in large part due to his contributions.”

In concluding the ceremony, Roselle invited Mangone to join him on the podium to unveil a plaque commemorating the event and a portrait of Mangone painted by Russell Recchion. Both the plaque and the portrait will be permanently mounted in Robinson Hall, where the center has its offices.

Before the ceremony and in conjunction with the renaming of the center, a symposium was held in Mangone’s honor on national and international policy issues affecting marine transportation.

The symposium addressed trends in marine transportation, including implications of technological changes in vessels and ports. A variety of policy issues such as safety in shipping, maritime security in ports and harbors and environmental issues such as ballast water discharges, invasive species and air pollution from ships also were addressed. The symposium concluded with a consideration of major issues in international and national maritime law and policy.

Robert Ostrom, chief counsel of the U.S. Maritime Administration, delivered the morning keynote address and discussed his thoughts on “Issues, Opportunities and Challenges in Marine Transportation.” In the lunchtime keynote address, Annick de Marffy, director of the United Nations Division of Ocean Affairs and Law of the Sea, provided an overview of the accomplishments and prospects of the United Nations Law of the Sea.

Photo by Duane Perry

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