Q: What could you bring to the job of College president?

A: I have the academic qualifications the board has advertised for. I have a lot of experience in higher education in colleges in the US and also Bermuda. I have a lot of experience at management and executive level.

I've also been involved in efforts to bring added value to the College in terms of opportunities for people in Bermuda. I've been involved in putting together articulation agreements that will enable our students to go into the third year of a degree here.

Also I have stabilised our faculty evaluation process and that's been a joy. One of the things I'm most proud of is the international recognition from the accrediting body, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The Commission on Institutions in Higher Education in the fall of 2005 granted Bermuda College candidacy status. What this means is that the College will be becoming a member of the Commission. And this will mean ease of transfer for our students.

Q: So the qualifications students gain at Bermuda College will be internationally recognised?

A: Absolutely, yes. Representatives of the Commission were here only last week. We are well on our way. A lot of people have the mistaken idea that this can happen overnight, but it is a very long process. We've been in this process for about three years so far and within five years from now we hope to have the accreditation. I think an even bigger issue is that there is a lot of potential in technical education. I think it's something that has been neglected for years. It's time now for some attention to be paid to this area.

We recently hired an associate vice-president for technical education and we are pleased to have him. I think it's important that it's not just the College that's doing this. The community has to be involved, businesses have to be involved and the Government has to be involved. It's a big thing. It's needed for the island's sustainability.

So I think technical education is a high priority.

Q: When you say technical education, what exactly do you mean?

A: The trades ? carpentry, plumbing, electrical, mechanics. We have courses in those trades at the College, but they need to be expanded.

The College cannot sustain these programmes at the current tuition level.

They require funding and support from industry. For example, people studying automotive mechanics need to have access to cars that they can work on and see what kind of things will need to be fixed.

If you're talking about woodwork technology, for example, students need the materials to work with and they need to have the opportunity to go out into the workforce and see what actually needs to be done.

Q: That kind of training is very much in the businesses' interest, isn't it?

A: Absolutely. It's in the island's interests. Because we have to be able to sustain what we're doing. Whatever the island's success, it means nothing if we don't have the infrastructure to support it. The whole community has to come together to find a way to make sure this works. The College is not just about the arts and business, it has to be about technical training as well and for too long, that's an aspect that has not been supported.Yes, I think so. Right now, there are students who go abroad because the courses they need are not available. We have to realistic about this in terms of whether it is cost-effective. If we have the support, it can be cost-effective.

I started out at Prospect Primary and then I went on to Berkeley Institute. Then I went to college in Massachusetts and studied Spanish and with a minor in secondary education. During that time, I had the opportunity to spend a year in Argentina, which helped with my Spanish.

I returned to Massachusetts, completed my degree there and then did a master's degree at Fitchburg State College, in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Then I went to Tennessee with my husband Dr. George Alford, who's a dentist here, and we stayed there while I was working in the College system. I completed my doctorate in education.

Q: And from there you went on to work in education.

A: Yes. I actually had one year of teaching in secondary education on the island, while I was studying for my master's degree in Spanish. What happened was that I went back to the US to complete my master's and had the opportunity to teach a college class and there I found my passion. I just glowed with enthusiasm and joy. I found my niche. I didn't know what it was before.

I think it was the intellectual challenge that I found at the college level. It was so stimulating for me. I loved teaching Spanish for two years at a four-year college and then I went to Tennessee where I taught English for nine years.

And I've had various administrative posts since then from co-ordinator to assistant dean to dean. When I left Columbia State Community College in 2000, I was having to staff and schedule for about 4,000 students in six locations.

It was quite a job and I always enjoyed being around students and seeing them grow.

Q: When did you join Bermuda College?

A: I came here in July 2000 as vice-president for student affairs. My role has changed since then and I'm now vice-president and chief academic officer.

Not much, but I have done it here. But my schedule is now so tight, I think it's not fair on students if I don't have the time to be there as much as I'm needed.

I would love to teach a class again, if I can get the time. Whether it's Spanish or English, it's all fun. Learning is fun.

Q: Do you miss teaching?

A: Somewhat, but I still get the chance to do presentations and that gives me the same kind of joy. I'm going to be doing a presentation to a PhD graduate class later this month in Jamaica.

I think it's important to be involved with the students. I know them by name and I know their needs. Basically, I do my best to make life better for them. Ultimately, that's what it's all about ? to support them so they can reach their potential.

Q: How would you summarise the importance of Bermuda College to our community?

A: It's second to none, in terms of importance, because what we do there is prepare people and not only young people, for various jobs that we all need doing to sustain our island.

I finished high school here in the late '60s and there was no opportunity for me. I worked hard for a year and went abroad. There was no opportunity for me then, but right now the Bermuda community has this opportunity. A two-year college gives them that first step on the path to success. Bermudians need the opportunity to get the qualifications they need in order to do the jobs that are available here.

Q: And the College teaches many older people as well as youngsters?

A: Yes. Not so long ago, people could go through their working life doing exactly the same job for 50 years. Not so now, when jobs are continuously developing and extra training is necessary. If people need to update their skills, Bermuda College is here for them.

When I came here in 2000, I would suspect that the average age was somewhere around 19. That average age now is around 27. Around 64 per cent of our students are "non-traditional", that is older people.

We're a community college and we actively reach out to everyone. We realise that in some cases people are perhaps not prepared for college education so we have programmes that will help them get ready.

We just had representatives here from an institution who applauded us for providing those services. We also have classes in the evenings, going on until 9.30.

Q: I understand that there are many more female than male students at the College. Do you see this as a problem?

A: That is true of the College, but it is also true of higher education in most places. The proportion is generally about 65 to 35. If you find anything better than 60-40, then you've found a special place.

The numbers have improved at the College, but there are so many things we can do to attract more male students. If we can get the money we are looking for to put into expanding the technical courses, then I think we will see a levelling of the numbers.

We also have a men's forum once a month where men get together and all males on the campus are invited. It's in its second year now and the students have just about taken it over. They invite speakers and it helps to develop bonding and support. The president is very much in favour of the initiative.

Q: Do you think it's important that the College president is a Bermudian?

A: Yes, I do. I wouldn't want to diminish the contributions of anyone, but I think it's important for young Bermudians to see people who get themselves qualified given the opportunities to shine and to mentor, to show others that if you put in the hard work, you can do it. I think he's had some innovative ideas and has pushed along people to work in what have been non-traditional areas to us in the Bermuda community and we've seen some positive results.