The vision of its founders and advice to build on its rich legacy were among the highlights at the launch of Bermuda College’s 50th anniversary celebrations yesterday.

The event at the college’s courtyard at Paget also included a commemorative plaque and a granite paver reveal as past and present administrators gathered to celebrate with the institution.

Branwen Smith-King, interim president of Bermuda College, said the vision of the institution’s founders has been fulfilled.

“Our founders had a vision for higher learning to continue nurturing the minds of our young Bermudians.”

She added: “This vision would provide students with an opportunity to flourish to develop new career pathways and to pursue their dreams.”

Ms Smith-King said this year’s celebration “allows us to reflect on the success and rich history of being the only tertiary institution in Bermuda”.

She urged the college administration to continue engaging the community “welcoming multi-generations to the campus”.

Ms Smith-King said the college should be the “hub of academia and education while partnering with diverse community stakeholders”.

She said: “Students, faculty staff, community leaders and many of you have helped build a legacy of excellence.

“This legacy is why we are here today and together I hope we can continue to build a bright future for new generations to come.”

Diallo Rabain, the Minister of Education, said the institution has come a long way since it opened its doors in 1974.

He recalled that the college was the result of an amalgamation of three institutions — the Bermuda Hotel and Catering College, the Bermuda Technical Institute and the Academic Sixth Form Centre.

Mr Rabain said that partnerships such as the institution’s dual enrolment and its promise programme with the Ministry of Education and its robust nursing programme “underscores the college’s integral role in our community”.

He added: “Bermuda College’s achievements are numerous and impactful, its affiliations and collaborations with US, Canadian and UK and Caribbean institutions reflect its dedication to broadening the educational opportunities for all Bermudians.”

Mansfield Brock, the first chief executive of the college, said after the institution opened its doors it had a “strong academic foundation”.

He said over the years the college has simultaneously enhanced its operations and its academic achievements.

He said: “I think that Bermuda College today exceeds the hopes and expectations of the college’s founding fathers and if they were alive today, they would thank the successive presidents and their staff for doing an excellent job.”

George Cook, a former president of the college, said the institution is “the most important social institution in Bermuda, by which I mean it is the vehicle for upward mobility”.

Dr Cook recalled that one day during the summer of 1975 when he returned to the island from Canada, where he was a teacher, he received a call from Mr Brock and the two spoke about his possible involvement with the college.

The next year, he started working at the college and at the time he was tasked with creating the institution’s academic programmes.

He said: “We started out from scratch basically.”

Dr Cook said: “Standards were set and the outlines of the programmes were established because the format that we established then has persisted all the way through to the present day.”

Nasir Wade, the chairman of the board of Bermuda College, said the founders of the institution “took an idea and they transformed it into something that we could stand on today”.

He added: “Building off of a firm foundation is what is necessary for success.

“So I want to thank all of those who played a part in the legacy of Bermuda College now that we are at our 50th anniversary.”