A motivational lecture given to faculty and staff of the Bermuda College yesterday was just the right start for the new spring semester to keep morale running high.

And by all indications, the hour long "unique" presentation involving guitar playing and poetry was well received by the nearly 100 educators in attendance.

Given by Dr. Sanford Shugart, president of Valencia Community College in Orlando, Florida, staff and faculty laughed in a relaxed atmosphere, while at the same time being challenged mentally to reassess their reason for becoming educators.

President of the college, Dr. Michael Orenduff, extended the invitation to Dr. Shugart, who travels to colleges around the US spreading the same inspirational messages of accountability and servant leadership.

And in an unorthodox presentation with guitar strapped over his shoulder, he delivered his message by giving excerpts of his personal journey to becoming a leader in the education arena.

"Early in my life I knew I had different pieces of life that didn't fit together," he told the group. "But I knew that passion and duty had to be one and the same. What I care about are matters of the spirit and the heart. I was interested in serving - that's what I cared about."

Having served nearly 20 years as vice president and president of several colleges across the US, Dr. Shugart said there were often times that he would lose the vision of servant leadership.

But he said that his refocus came when he realised that the success of all involved was paramount - from the student to the president of the institution.

And he challenged faculty and staff in attendance to delve into their own beliefs about making the Bermuda College as accessible for learning as it was designed to be.

"I had to keep asking myself, 'what if work could be a transforming experience?'" he asked. "Is there a place where work could be nourishing? How can I make work a place like this for other people.

"I realised that my job was to create an organisation to do its best work for the people without fear. That meant that we had to understand a lot about the people who we are serving."

Following the lecture, Evelyn James Barnett, director of communications at the college, said the lecture series was a "good team building experience".

"Dr. Orenduff came up with the idea as a team building event for faculty and staff," she said. "It was well received - the message wasn't lost on the people who heard him. Team building, motivation - all that is aptly suited to what we are trying to do. What better way to motivate the students then to start with the faculty."