Bermuda College has the ideal man for enforcing discipline in wayward youth - new President Charles Green is a former US army colonel who served in Vietnam.

The 64-year-old spent more than 30 years in the military serving full-time and part-time and has worked as an education administrator in both the secondary and post-secondary school system.

He has served as interim president of the Olive-Harvey College in Chicago since August, 2002 and prior to that he was Vice President for Student Services at Olive-Harvey.

He told The Royal Gazette he was interested in bringing in disaffected youngsters just as he had done in Chicago.

The answer was to channel them to areas of interest, said Dr. Green.

"The community colleges and public schools there played a large part in trying to give people an opportunity to be what they could be in a variety of interests.

"To get them off the street corners where they were doing nothing and then helping them be employed in the industries that needed them. We were able, we believe, to salvage a lot of young men, African American men, black men standing on the corners.

"They went into a variety of things, roofing, plumbing which are crafts which require licensing and skills, to computer systems. Ultimately some of them have gone on to college, four-year institutions and have gone on to be teachers.

"The circle is to not just let them sit there and ferment in their own attitude of 'well, so what, I don't have a thing to do' but to get those young folk interested in using education as an opportunity for other things."

Otherwise they were in a vicious circle of despair, joblessness and ultimately crime, said Dr. Green.

"The important thing is to get them interested.It's really important while people are still in the education system before they get out on the street corner you get them moving towards the next level.

"The public schools have to be joined with the college to move them into the technical fields to cause them not to be standing on that corner. Ultimately it's up to the college to be proactive and recruit them."

Scholarship funds needed to be developed further, said Dr. Green, to sponsor students.

Dr. Green earned his PhD in Education Administration from the University of Texas at Austin in 1980 and his MA in Management and Supervision from Central Michigan University in 1974.

He also holds a BA in Industrial Technology from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio and brings extensive military training in management and technology, said a college Press release.

Asked about his military career Dr. Green said: "I started out as a missile systems commander, I was in charge of missile systems like the Nike Hercules, the Ajax and ultimately developed missile systems they use in air defence.

"I worked running units which fired them.

"I was in active service for 16 years and did a year in Vietnam and was a career officer."

After leaving the full-time force he spent time in the reserves and commanded military police and supply units.

He added: "I worked in intelligence for a few years."