yesterday he hoped to build a "closer rapport with Bermuda College'' during his tenure.

Sir Richard Luce, here to attend an Oxford and Cambridge dinner at the Mid Ocean Club as well as other functions, said he hoped Buckingham's pioneering approach to higher education and innovative new courses would help to strengthen longstanding links with the Island.

The guest speaker at Hamilton Rotary's weekly lunch, attended this week by new Police Commissioner Colin Coxall, said Buckingham has proven popular among Bermudians, especially those who want to study law, because it offers the opportunity to gain a bachelor's degree in two years.

Sir Richard, who went from politics to education after resigning his ministerial post under Mrs. Margaret Thatcher's Government, told Rotarians that 50 Bermudians had graduated from Buckingham since its founding. A further 12 were currently studying for degrees, mainly law, at the university.

Sir Richard, who had responsibility for Bermuda as a junior minister in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office until 1981, said he was proud to note Cabinet Secretary Mr. Leo Mills was one of the graduates.

He noted the university's move towards two-year degrees had been controversial at the time, but had proven a great success.

Buckingham was still the only university in the United Kingdom that was independent of the government and did not get a cent in government subsidies, he said.

"We are unique,'' he said. "We were founded in the mid-1970s deliberately to be totally independent and challenge existing higher education standards.'' Sir Richard said other universities insisted at the time it was not possible to get the traditional three- to four-year degree in two years.

"But I have to tell you it is,'' he said. "We are doing it now at the University of Buckingham.

"Essentially what we are doing away with is the long summer vacation. We are the only university that works through August.'' Sir Richard said a few other universities were considering pilot two-year degree programmes.

Other unique aspects of Buckingham were its personal attention to students, large student-teacher ratio and one-on-one tutorials. Its students came from all over the world, including the Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Russia.

The motivation needed to gain a degree in two years made its graduates very employable, he said, noting it was first in terms of employability of its graduates, ahead of both Cambridge and Oxford -- where he studied.

While Buckingham was known for its law programme, it offered a variety of courses, Sir Richard pointed out, including economics, finance/accounting, the arts, life science/computers.

And it now offered international heritage management and international tourism management courses.

Sir Richard said he was pleased to finally make it to Bermuda.

He noted he had never visited despite the fact his grandfather died here of typhoid while serving as Royal Navy Commander in Chief of West Indies and Fleet.

And while he was serving in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as Minister responsible for Bermuda and the Caribbean, a planned visit in 1981 had to be scrapped after the Falkland's crisis flared and he resigned the government after serving in Parliament for 21 years.

He said this would not be his last visit, adding Bermuda had played a "pivotal part'' in the relationship between the US and Great Britain, having been host to numerous presidents and prime ministers of the two countries.

Sir Richard Luce