More than 400 freshmen were inducted into the Bermuda College's student body yesterday under the harsh afternoon sun.

College President Dr. Michael Orenduff welcomed the students to the College, under a white tent that decorates school grounds at this time of year.

"This is a time of anticipation and excitement but it's also a time of challenges," he told the assembly of students, instructors and guests - including Acting Premier Eugene Cox, Opposition leader Pamela Gordon and Education Minister Milton Scott.

"Some arrive eager, and others with some trepidation, some will rest on their laurels - of course, I'm describing only the faculty and staff," he joked.

Mr. Orenduff joked that Bermuda is the only country where a person can wear shorts underneath the black academic robe he was wearing.

College Board chairman Jan Spiering told the audience that the Board had decided on a "clear vision of what we want to accomplish".

He told students going for their Associates' degree: "This is just the start of your road."

And during a recent visit to a Canadian university, he said that the school's administration told him "the quality (of Bermuda College students) is usually better than the person that is home grown in that institution".

Out of 448 applicants, 446 succeeded in enrolling in the College's various faculty programmes.

And of the successful applicants, 51percent are freshmen students under 21-years-old and 43 percent are mature students.

Approximately 41percent are entering from public schools, ten percent from private schools and six percent comprise those who did not graduate from high school this year, but are between the ages of 18 and 21.

Mr. Spiering told the audience that the students have a "rightful place" in Bermuda's economy, and the College would ensure that the degree or certificate is "helpful and useful in business".

Student body president Kenneth Brangman advised the freshmen to, "think of today as a new start".