scattered over three separate sites to a consolidated state-of-the-art campus used by more than 4,000 people, vice president of academic affairs Solange Saltus is ready to enjoy retirement.

The mother of three told The Royal Gazette this week she thought it was an appropriate time to retire as all students of Bermuda College will be at the Stonington campus in September.

Mrs. Saltus, who can be considered a pioneer in many aspects of the college, scheduled to leave her post in October.

It will also mark the end of 40 years in education for Mrs. Saltus.

Born Solange Maxwell, she attended East End Primary School and Berkeley Institute.

She then studied at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, Canada from 1953 to 1957 where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree.

Fresh out of college, Mrs. Saltus returned to Bermuda and taught general science, biology and social studies at Berkeley Institute until 1965.

She then moved to Sandys Secondary where she taught social science for two years.

In 1968, Mrs. Saltus attended the Althouse College of Education at University of Western Ontario where she acquired a Bachelor's degree in Biology and a certification to teach English and Math at both primary and secondary levels.

The next year, she obtained an advanced diploma in education guidance from Reading University in the United Kingdom.

Mrs. Saltus became the first full-time guidance counsellor in Bermuda's school system when she joined the staff at Warwick Secondary in 1970.

She stayed at Warwick Secondary until 1977 when she started her career at the Bermuda College as its first full-time guidance counsellor.

The guidance department grew into Academic Services and Mrs. Saltus became the first dean of Academic Services with responsibility for three other counsellors and the academic resource centre.

During four different summer sessions, Mrs. Saltus also continued her education, an obtained a degree in comparative education and education guidance at Harvard University, Teachers College at Columbia University and Purdue University.

And in September, 1992 she became the first woman vice president of Academic Affairs at the college. The promotion gave Mrs. Saltus the responsibility for the academic and student affairs related to the functions of the college.

This included all that happened in the faculties, library, the Registrar's office, admissions, counselling, academic support, student activities and development.

"Anything that deals with students and what happens to them when they get to the college is my responsibility,'' she explained. "I also dealt with outreach, through admissions, to the community and especially the secondary schools.'' Mrs. Saltus said the biggest change she had seen in Bermuda education, in her four decades in the profession, was the introduction of free schooling.

"When I had just started teaching, students had to pay to go to school,'' she said."The top of the funnel was very narrow as to the number of people who went on to further education.

"It's not that way any more, schooling is available to everyone and it is essentially free.'' She added that education had tried to meet the changing demands of Bermuda.

Asked how she felt about her teaching career, she stood up and got the Bermuda College handbook. Turning the pages to where the names of the faculty were listed she started pointing out the names of about 15 people she had taught.

"And this is just in this organisation,'' Mrs. Saltus said. "It is extremely satisfying to have had a small positive part to play in the lives of a large number of people in Bermuda.'' The mother of three said that next to being a parent, a teacher has the most potential to influence another human.

"It is a frightening responsibility,'' she said, "but at the same time it is a very exciting responsibility.''