IT could have easily been dubbed "Bermuda Day" when the festivities marking the 134th Annual Commencement Exercises of St. John's University took place on Sunday in Queen's, New York.

Some 1,500 undergraduates and graduate students received their degrees. But it was eight Bermudian educators who were singled out for special mention in the programme for having earned their Doctorates in Education in what is the university's first off-campus doctoral programme in Instructional Leadership outside the United States.

Also they were hailed for having done "pioneering work" in their respective fields, each passing with significantly high-test scores.

What gave the impressive graduation more impact was the fact that more than 100 relatives and friends of the trail-blazing eight flew from the island for the festivities, while other kin journeyed there from as far away as San Juan, Puerto Rico, California, Philadelphia and the Carolinas. They indulged in a full round of pre-graduation celebrations and graduation luncheon.

This writer, accompanied by his administrative assistant, Ismay L. Philip, was invited to make the journey to St. John's University for the whirlwind weekend.

The eight Bermudians, with great dignity and humility, took a bow and were hooded according to ancient custom by their mentor, Dr. Rita Dunn. To thunderous applause, they were then positioned in places of honour on the stage with the St. John's Presidential Party. Recipients were Dr. Melvin Bassett, Dr. E. Glenn Bascome, Dr. Dena Butterfield-Lister, Dr. Shangri-La Durham-Thompson, Dr. Charlotte S. Ming, Dr. Sharon Parris, Dr.Stanley Roberts and Dr. Derek A. Tully.

Also on the stage were two people given honorary degrees. They were the actor Ron Silver, receiving the honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, and Dr. Adelaide Sanford, Vice Chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents, the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Literature. She is an eminent black trail-blazer in education.

Silver is noted for his continuing roles in several television series over the years, including Rhoda, Hill Street Blues, The West Wing, and more recently Skin.

It was five years ago that Dr. Dunn journeyed to Bermuda to set up the pilot project between St. John's University and the Bermuda College. It is known as The Bermuda Cohort. For the benefit of the laypersons, Dr. Dunn explained that a 'cohort' is a group of people who come into a programme together, work through the courses at the same time, hoping to graduate at the same time.

She said there were four more people from the Bermuda Cohort who would be graduating next January. Dr. Dunn added that the Bermudians were all very, very rapid learners and they did extremely well.

The university highlighted the fact that "the Instructional Leadership Doctoral Programme was the only offering of its kind by any state-side institution of higher education. St. John's professors travelled to Bermuda to teach the course work, allowing the students, most of whom are employed, professional adults with children, to earn their degrees without having to leave the island."

St. John's University has been training in learning styles since 1980. Some 28 universities all over the world are now teaching its concept of innovative ways of teaching children. The concept is taught in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Singapore, Brunei, Australia and Malaysia.

"Your people in Bermuda have been pioneers. These graduates have made a contribution towards improving the world and making it better. Their work will be impacting on countries around the world. Do you know that Charlotte Ming, Glen Bascome and Stanley Roberts have already been published, producing chapters in books on Instructional Leadership?" she asked.

Dr. Melvin Bassett, principal of Sandys Secondary Middle School (M.S.E.D, Howard University), focused on Instructional Leadership (IL) Development of an Administrative Guide to Implementing Learning-Style-Based Instruction in Bermuda Schools.

Dr. Bascome, a teacher at Sandys Secondary Middle School, (M.S. Queen's U., Canada) focused on (IL) Effects of Learning-Styles Instructional Resources on Short and Long Term Vocabulary Retention and Attitudes of Seventh-Grade Language Arts Students.

Dr. Dena Lister, Deputy Principal of Sandys Secondary Middle School, (U. of Maryland, College Park) focused on (IL) Effects of Traditional Versus Kinesthetic Learning-Style Responsive Instructional Strategies on Bermudian Learning Support on Bermudian Learning Support Sixth-Grade Students' Social Studies Achievement-and Attitude-Test Scores.

Dr. Stanley Eugene Roberts of Sandys Secondary Middle School, (M.A. Howard U.) focused on (I L) Effects of Traditional, Programmed Learning Sequenced, and Contract Activity Packaged Instruction of Sixth-Grade Students' Achievement and Attitudes.

Dr. Charlotte S. Ming, Principal of South Side Middle School, (B.S., M.S., Miami U.) focused on (I L) Effects of Programmed Learning Sequenced Versus Traditional Instruction of the Achievement and Attitudes of Bermudian Seventh Graders in Social Studies and the Comparison of Two Learning-Style Identification Instruments Interpretations.

Dr. Derek Tully, Deputy Principal at South Side Middle School, (M.A., Webster U.) concentrated on (IL) Effects of Programmed Learning and Kinesthetic Instructional Materials on the Mathematics Fractions Test Scores of Sixth-Graders in a Bermuda Middle School.

Dr. Shangri-La Durham-Thompson, Principal of Prospect Primary School, (M.S., Miami), focused on (IL) Relation (S) Between the Learning-Styles and Discipline of Male and Female, High-and-Low Achieving, High-School Bermudian Students. She also earned a Graduate Certificate of Excellence.

Dr. Sharon R. Parris, a Bermuda College Lecturer, (B.A. Howard U., M.S. Ed., Queen's U) focused on An Historical Analysis of the Development of and Contribution to Professional Practices of the Dunn and Dunn Learning Style Model as Perceived by Practitioners, Researchers, and the Literature.

The graduation of the Bermudians, said Dr. Dunn, "is an event of historic consequence, and worthy of celebration. I am so elated. These graduates have made a contribution towards improving the world and making it better for everyone. The Bermuda Cohort did a lot of primary research. In education, every year when a new innovation comes to the fore everyone picks it up. They never look at the research behind it, where it has been done and the impact on the children affected."

Dr. Dunn expressed the opinion that children in Bermuda may have been damaged because the educational authority assumed, without pursuing adequate research, that because something worked in the United States it would work in Bermuda.

"I told the entire cohort to stop believing what people say. Rather to question the research, where it has been done; visit schools, conduct independent research and see for yourselves if it has been effective."