Quasi-Business Plan for TSUUNAMI Designs, San Francisco
TSUUNAMI Designs, a nonprofit academy
Currently, for San Francisco, I envision the initial and maritime campus to be in the Bayview area of San Francisco, possibly near BAE engineering, but near the shipyards. An alternative location is at the The Presidio. Also, alternative sites might be at Treasure Island or for former Alameda Naval Air Station. (I was born on The Presidio, at Letterman General Hospital, in 1965, and so it is symbolic to me. But, I do realize that real estate on The Presidio is coveted, expensive, and probably not inviting of upwards of 400 students in housing or in classroom capacity.)
At this point, as for funding, it may be that one or two local animation firms on The Presidio may wish to be cosponsors of my adventure. However, I want it to be distinctly independent of and not responsible to any outside funding sources. Their key officers are invited to speak and instruct, but the Institution should be its own entity.
I am looking to differentiate TSUUNAMI. It will make waves, and - to the extent possible- it will not transplant local impoverished or poor students from their families or from San Francisco. In general, to protect intending students and their families against disqualification in their housing situations, only prospective students who are imminently transitioning to adult from minor/dependant will be accepted for enrollment. Otherwise, if students younger than 18 and still legally or technically minors and dependants were enrolled, then some families might find their qualifications status recalculated and could lose their housing if in government housing. Those families not in government housing might find adversely negative recalculations jeopardizing their tax, education, or other planning in the event siblings still at home might be impacted.
Since the China Development Bank is a major contributor to the development or construction of some 20,000 new (low income) homes in San Francisco (Hunters Point and Treasure Island), I intend to solicit funding from there, but also from other countries' banks. The reason I think it will be successful is, again, "coopetition", or cooperative competition. If these banks all contribute to the construction of dorms in Bayview/Hunters Point, and a small academy there, then eventually, these students will be able to foster more global interaction. If USA-origin banks want to participate, then they can too.
However, I am going to ask that China, South Korea, and San Francisco fast-track the construction of the TSUUNAMI Academy. The students can be bussed in before the rest of the homes are opened by end of 2013, and some will probably be housed before then. However, a campus and an academy dorm for the student body would be a great initial start to relieving pressure from the living space in some of the families.
Also, since San Francisco is hemorrhaging families with children, the investment in those who are still here can be a future pay off for San Francisco and for BAE here in San Francisco.
However, I will seek guarantees that the 400 domestic students will have campus housing, and that the 40+ foreign students are housed on campus as well. All students, regardless of nationality, will have to undergo one or more background checks to minimize the risk to the student body that there may be criminally-minded individuals in the Academy.
The international student body angle I am seeking is distinctly different. I want the native English speakers in the student body to also have a peer who is non-English speaking, and that non-English speaker will benefit from having around 8-10 native speakers assigned to him or her over the course of 2-4 years. The nonnative English speakers, from the countries named earlier, will also have to be language tutors to their respective peers over the same 2-4 year academic period.
Domestic Students breakdown may be something such as:
-- 100 from California
-- 80-100 from the West Coast
-- 80 from the Midwest
-- 80 from the East Coast
Potential campus sites:
-- Bayview/Hunters Point area (near shipyards)
-- Treasure Island
-- The Presidio
-- Former Alameda Naval Air Station
Other potential competitors:
Other potential competitors can arise from naval academies, art institutes, vocational schools, shipyard-funded training centers, CAD courses, and so on. But, none of them individually will have all the courses, content, or software I intend to procure for the students.
FUNDING
Funding I am seeking will come not from the US Navy or US Government or solely from them, but from international sources such as development banks, interested corporations, and private individuals. In no case is funding to be offered or accepted if there is any desire or attempt to change the way this organization is founded or operated. There is no equity or ownership sharing (otherwise, why would it be seeking partial funding via crowd funding site?)
Initial banks approached will be:
-- Korea Development Bank (KDB)
-- Development Bank of Japan (DBJ)
-- China Development Bank (CDB)
Although no equity is exchanged, other offers will be made, suitably equitable for a non-equity arrangement.
Why these banks? The majority of my influences I intend to make or have received come from these countries. Other banks may approach, but there will be no equity exchange. Also, if any bank invests in my ambition the way China Development Bank invested in a certain under funded area of San Francisco, then it definitely will get my attention.
Possible conflicts and competitors
US Navy, NAVSEA, STEM
The US Navy, through NAVSEA (Naval Sea Systems Command) and ONR (Office of Naval Research), has for several years been trying to formulate an outreach plan to help the USA regain some of its lost talent and interest in naval architecture and technology. It appears to be aimed at inner city youth from minorities and to reinvigorate fighting poverty. STEM, an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, which is located in Philadelphia. But, it also appears that the school first opened is focused on steam, diesel, and gas turbine engine design. I cannot determine yet whether that is about specific engines, or the engineering plant, taking into consideration electrical loads, switchboards, load shedding,
I have some of the same goals, too. Although I did learn about what NAVSEA was planning, while I worked at a naval architecture firm, and although I did feel a bit of competition or threat from this discovery, I think there is room for "coopetition", or cooperation and healthy competition. Typically, navies and design bureaus/agencies do not have members who individually take on the design of an entire ship. That is something I do. It is a massive undertaking, and it is not something an individual professional would ordinarily do. There is just too massive an amount of detail which requires many specialized disciplines to be coordinated and managed carefully throughout the life of a project. However, the regimented, isolated approach means that some personnel only see the global system design when working on student theses or projects. Once in the professional office as a junior engineer, or junior naval architect, it seems they will be so busy on certain projects that most see small areas of a ship, a platform, or a facility design. I want the students to be rotated through design areas frequently and widely.
However, since my goal is the global systems approach, to help spur gaming and entrepreneurs, not just NAME-bound students, the entire ship has to be shown quickly, and the students who are less into gaming will rather soon obtain a deeper appreciation for not just learning about the basic parts of a ship, but how to integrate them logically. If ships no longer interest them, there may be the aeronautical and the automotive track as well.
But, to secure and retain their excitement and imagination, ship model building will be one of the key activities.
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Trans State Unofficial, Unconventional Naval Architecture and Marine Innovators
TransState Unaccredited, Unofficial Naval Architects and Marine Innovators;
TransState Unconventional, Unofficial Naval Architects and Marine Iterlocutors
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