America’s top maritime official has expressed confidence that the US Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) will succeed in holding on to its accreditation, even as its alumni community complains that the US government’s action has put the elite institution’s status at risk.

US Maritime Administrator Paul “Chip” Jaenichen says the academy, better known as Kings Point, is “on track” to meet the accreditation requirements of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which has put the academy on warning status for failing to meet key governance and campus climate standards.

“We