A sustained drive is under way by the Bermuda College to market its reputation and increase intake as the organisation fosters strong relationships with institutions overseas, its president said.

David Sam, who has been at the helm of the island’s only tertiary educational facility for a year, said the push for greater public awareness could result in the college attracting international students to its virtual classes.

He said: “We are on a marketing campaign to make people aware of what we have.

“One of the challenges that we have is that many people are not aware of what we offer at this college — we are 50 years plus and yet still.

“This is an accredited institution, and the accreditation standard is very high.”

He said the college secured its credentials through the New England Commission of Higher Education, which also accredits globally revered US academic institutions such as Yale University, Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dr Sam added: “It should be something that we celebrate on this island. We have an institution that has subjected itself to this high level of scrutiny so that it offers excellent programmes. And we believe that we are underappreciated in part.”

He described the college’s faculty as “outstanding”, and said that to boost its programmes, it will employ three people this year with doctoral qualifications in the arts, biology and economics.

Dr Sam added: “The students will be exposed to the highest level of academic education that they need.

“So that when they finish and they leave here, they will be well prepared as students who started at a four-year institution.”

He said that the college is building on its online classes to attract international students.

Dr Sam explained: “Bermuda is a hub for insurance and reinsurance, and we want to make sure that we are the hub for that also in educational terms.

“Our goal is to make sure that our offerings will attract students from around the world to be able to take these classes.”

Globally, he said, online classes have been a regular feature at academic institutions since the pandemic.

He added: “So people who had not experienced education online got to experience it during that time.”

Dr Sam said that some of the college’s students study exclusively online while others learn through a hybrid arrangement, combining virtual and in-person lessons.

He added that while there are limited classes in some areas, the Bermuda College is pursuing plans to develop its curriculum to attract a global student population.

Having international students enrolled at a tertiary institution adds a “different dimension” to its reputation, Dr Sam said.

He explained: “Not every student is able to go overseas to experience the cultural immersion that rounds out the education for the individual.

“So being in a classroom that has a lot of international dimensions is very important.”

Dr Sam said world-class universities often boast of the diversity of their student population, whether they attend classes in person or virtually.

He added: “That is something we would like to achieve in the next few years.”

Dr Sam said actuarial science, IT and the business programmes offered by the college were standouts in its repertoire of courses.

The college also aims to strengthen the programmes followed by students in the years before they transfer to universities or colleges overseas.

He said that would “ensure that the students are very well prepared when they finish here and transfer into four-year universities”.

Dr Sam noted that the college has been working on changes to its enrolment process.

He said a prospective student would have to provide details such as name, address, contact information and Bermuda passport details.

However, he pointed out: “The assumption is that every Bermudian has a passport but that may not be the case.”

People without the documentation would therefore meet a barrier.

Dr Sam said: “So we lose that opportunity and so my inquiry was, why do you need it? And the response is, to determine the tuition rate.

“I said great, why don’t we move that down the road after you have admitted the person?”

The issue is being addressed and the college is updating its publications to reflect the change so that admission may be open to more potential students.

“It is important that you streamline processes, because you make it easier for them, you want to capture that interest,” Dr Sam added.

He added that the college also plans to make sure that students further benefit from financial support available to them.

Dr Sam explained: “We have a lot of financial resources to help students go to school and we want to make sure that they come and talk to our financial aid people.

“There are times when there is money left on the table; we are looking for people to take the money to go to school.

“So we want to streamline all of these processes, to see if there is a way we can reach every household on the island.”

He said students can access grants and scholarships through the Bermuda College Foundation and, if the school’s population grows, it will work with the foundation to raise funds from the international business community to support students.

To date the college has forged articulation agreements with 41 academic institutions, and Dr Sam said the institution has been working to strengthen and increase the alliances.

“Everything we do is to help students and the college to grow,” he said.

College officials met last month with the president of Grambling State University, based in Louisiana, to explore potential partnerships for students and exchanges for faculty.

Dr Sam said at the heart of the articulation agreements is a measure to make sure that there is a “smooth transition” for students to further their studies overseas.

“We would never stop looking for opportunities to develop more articulation agreements because we want that to be seamless; we want more people to be able to transfer,” he said.

As he enters his second year at the college, Dr Sam said he has enjoyed the experience so far.

“It’s been wonderful. I’ve settled in pretty much but there are still a lot of things to be done, so I am looking forward to year two,” he added.