California State University Maritime Academy
Captain James M. Morgan graduated in 1976 from California State University Maritime
Academy and began his career in the maritime industry as a third mate for Chevron Shipping Co.
He went on to work for ARCO for 20 years, where he served as a mate, a master and a manager
of marine services. From 1999 to 2007, Captain Morgan was the port pilots manager for the Port
of Los Angeles and retired in 2014 as the port’s director of Port Construction and Maintenance.
An avid sailor and yachtsman, he is a strong advocate and supporter of Cal Maritime, founding
the Banning High School Scholarship Fund in 2003 to allow students who have participated in
the Banning High School EXP program to attend his alma mater. A California Partner School
program, the EXP program gives eleventh graders from Phineas Banning High School in
Wilmington exposure to career pathways in the maritime industry. Students attend a one-week
experiential summer course at Cal Maritime, living in the residence hall and training to earn
industry-recognized certificates in personal survival and basic marine firefighting. The
scholarship has raised and awarded more than $750,000 for 51 Banning High School students
who have gone on to attend Cal Maritime.
In 2008, Captain Morgan founded the Port of Los Angeles Harbor Cup – Cal Maritime
Invitational Intercollegiate Regatta. Hosted by the Los Angeles Yacht Club, the three-day, 10-
race event attracts top sailing teams from around the country and gives college sailors the
opportunity to race large boats. Ten years later, he created the Training Ship Golden Bear
Training Cruise Alumni Celestial Challenge, which encourages cadets to achieve high
proficiency in celestial navigation. Winners of the competition earn scholarships and cash prizes
provided by an annual alumni fundraiser that also is coordinated by Captain Morgan.
During the course of his long maritime career, Captain Morgan has hired and mentored scores of
Cal Maritime graduates. A generous financial supporter of the California Maritime Academy
Foundation, he has served on the board of directors and as the chairman of the Marine
Development Committee. In addition to being a Charter Alumni Association Life Member, he
also belongs to Cal Maritime’s Golden Bear Society, which honors those who express their
commitment to maritime education with a bequest or estate gift of $25,000 or more. In 2015,
Captain Morgan received Cal Maritime’s Lifetime Achievement Alumni Award.
In recognition of his distinguished career and longstanding support of Cal Maritime and its
educational mission, the Board of Trustees of the California State University and California State
University Maritime Academy are proud to confer upon Captain Jim Morgan the honorary
degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.