The new interim president of Bermuda College Dr. Michael Orenduff took up his three-year post on Monday and is set to meet the media today.

Dr. Orenduff spent his first day at the College getting acquainted with staff and the campus after arriving on the Island at the weekend.

His main objective is to turn the College around to make it more responsive to the needs of the business community, students and parents.

But also on his agenda will be making courses more cost-effective, forming greater partnerships with overseas institutions, and encouraging stakeholders, such as large businesses, to financially support the College.

He will be at the College for three years while the board searches for a permanent president. But his job will be to take the institution through a transitional period.

Dr. Orenduff has taught at the United States Military Academy in West Point, and has served as president of both New Mexico State University and the University of Maine at Farmington.

He was also interim president of the American University in Bulgaria, and has served as Chancellor of the seven-campus University of Maine system, receiving national recognistion and acclaim as the creator of the nation's first electronic campus.

The New York Times has previously described Dr. Orenduff as a "visionary leader", and in an article in Edutech by Howard Strauss of Princeton, he was compared to Copernicus.

Dr. Orenduff said he strongly supported and advocated student success, and said he believed that was particularly important in Bermuda, where there was only one college of further education.

He added: "In a country with approximately 55,000 citizens, you can't afford to waste human capital. Our students will have to succeed, and we will assist each one in reaching their goals."