Presented on December 3, 2008
The Commandant of the United States Coast Guard takes great pleasure in presenting the United States Coast Guard Distinguished Public Service Award to Mr. Jonathan Michael Prince for his outstanding support to the Coast Guard and the scientific community as the Executive Secretary of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS). Mr. Prince began serving as Executive Secretary of UNOLS in May 2000 and will leave this leadership position in January 2009. During his tenure, his uncanny ability to simultaneously consider the needs of both the Coast Guard and the scientific community allowed for the consistently successful coordination of Coast Guard icebreaker schedules with the 61 UNOLS academic institutions involved in oceanographic research. In particular, Mr. Prince’s work with the Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee (AICC), a committee of UNOLS, greatly enhanced the scientific research conducted aboard the Coast Guard icebreaker fleet. His work with AICC optimized the use of Coast Guard polar platforms for scientific research through interagency scheduling. He tirelessly worked to be an unbiased moderator, taking into account the concerns and interests of all parties in order to reconcile competing interests. Mr. Prince’s dedication and commitment as UNOLS Executive Secretary maximized the efficient use of Coast Guard icebreakers, and contributed to the success of every icebreaker scientist. With Mr. Prince’s guidance, AICC broadened its role from its original focus on HEALY construction to scientific operations on all three polar icebreakers. The committee also instituted a system of formal post-cruise debriefs to gather information on scientific operations. This led to valuable suggestions for operations on icebreakers that will continue to be shared with future users of Coast Guard icebreakers. Mr. Prince’s accomplishments are heartily commended and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Coast Guard.
Mike Prince receiving the Distinguished Public Service Award presented by RADM John P. Currier (Commander of the 13th Coast Guard District).