The search is beginning for a new president for Bermuda College.

A search committee has been set up by the board and advertisements are being designed, in the hope that they can be placed in the local and international press later this summer.

President Dr. Michael Orenduff joined the college two years ago with the aim of turning it around and making it more responsive to community needs.

He was given a three-year period to change the direction of the institution, and make it more successful, with a new president coming in next year to then carry it on.

Yesterday, Dr. Orenduff said he hoped a new president designate could be found and could be in place by the end of the year.

"I don't exactly know the calendar, but someone will be selected in the coming months," said the president. "That person and myself will then overlap, so there will be a period of time where I can pass on and familiarise the person, so there will be a smooth hand-off and transition period."

Dr. Orenduff said he was not on the search committee, but expected there would be both Bermudian and international candidates, as well as people already on the staff.

However, he said there was much for him and his colleagues to be getting on with in the meantime, and he said his duties at the college were not yet complete.

"We still have a few projects to complete that will support our transition to a community college," said Dr. Orenduff. "For instance, we are in the midst of doing some curriculum revision, to make sure we are offering the right courses for a two-year college.

"And, in September this year, we are launching our notebook project, which will see all full-time students provided with a laptop each, and part-time students having the ability to use them on the campus.

"We are going to buy the laptops out of enrolment fees, and the students may be able to buy them at a reduced fee, if they wish, when they come to leave two or three years down the line. But the final details of that are still being worked out.

"We are also going to have a bigger and better book store, and we are going to start a fundraising campaign, as well."

During his tenure at the college, Dr. Orenduff and vice president Dr. Larita Alford have set up about 14 agreements with overseas colleges, enabling students to start four-year degrees in Bermuda, and then finish them abroad.

Most of the agreements to date have been related to specific subjects, such as insurance, nursing, medicine and teaching, but Dr. Orenduff said later this summer, they were to sign another, more general agreement, with Howard University in Washington DC.

"Most of the academic projects are done now," said Dr. Orenduff. "But we are getting ready to sign a new agreement with Howard University. This one will be pretty much across the board, so students can go there to complete their degree courses in any subject they wish.

"The university will come here later this year to sign off, and we hope to have it implemented in January next year, at the latest."

And the college is still in the slow process of being accredited. It hopes to have been accepted within the next 18 months, meaning that Bermuda College will be automatically recognised in North America when students want to transfer their credits to other institutions.

Part of Dr. Orenduff's brief was to ensure the college provided relevant courses for Bermuda, so when he came in he immediately began to consult with the business community.

As a result, the number of technical and trade courses, such as plumbing and mechanics, has been increased, along with business, accounting and insurance cla

Dr. Orenduff said the new catalogue of courses available at the college may have seemed thinner than usual this year, but he said that was only because the college had eradicated those courses from the menu that were not actually available.

But what will Dr. Orenduff do once his contract in Bermuda comes to an end?

He said: "I'm still thinking about it. I really have no idea. But I have a lot to do here in the next year to keep me going, and I guess I will have to start thinking about it."