Acting President of the University of the Cayman islands, Brian Chapell, was in Bermuda for a public forum at Bermuda College about the possibility of it changing from a two year to a four year college. Lifestyle reporter Jessie Moniz spoke to Dr. Chapell about the idea.

If we could do it over, we would plan better, was the word from Dr. Brian Chapell who started working at the University of the Cayman Islands just as it switched from a two-year to four-year institution in 2004.

"One of the mistakes we made in 2004 was not going through the planning process," he said. "We have succeeded since then in our goals, but there should have been more planning."

He said that the Bermuda College was similar to the University of the Cayman Islands.

"The funding is better in Bermuda," he said. "Student numbers are similar. There are about 20 percent more students in Bermuda, but it is in a similar range.

"The campus size is slightly bigger in Bermuda. We maintain similar course offering."

The University now offers four year bachelors degrees in business fields and he said that the decision was made to go this way because students had been asking for more on-island educational opportunities. "It was the next logical step," said Dr. Chapell.

He said the public forum was a good idea adding: "It seems there is quite a division on the subject. Some people are on the other side of the fence and don't think it is appropriate right now.

"Bermuda is taking the right step in providing this forum. It gives an opportunity for stakeholders to let their voices be heard."

And he said if the Bermuda College was going to upgrade from a two-year to a four-year college, they should prepare for every contingency — even a category five hurricane.

He learned the hard way about planning for the unexpected during his first year with the university.

In September 2004, not long after Dr. Chapell and his family arrived from Canada, Hurricane Ivan struck the Cayman Islands.

The storm reached category five strength when it passed within 30 miles of Grand Cayman, hitting it with winds of more than 180 mph and gusts up to 200 mph.

Eighty percent of the buildings on the island were either damaged or completely destroyed. Ivan was the worst hurricane to hit the island in 86 years. But due to planning, both Dr. Chapell and the university came through.

"My family was more prepared than a lot of people," he said. "I was lucky because I stocked up on basic food supplies. We were without electricity for some time and you had to learn how to cook without refrigeration."

The University of the Cayman Islands was closed for seven weeks, but many other educational institutions were closed for much longer.

"We are pretty well equipped at the university," he said. "We have hurricane shutters on all the windows.

"The biggest worry we have is flooding. Flooding is a risk almost anywhere on the island, which is very flat. During Hurricane Ivan we had at least two feet of water in the buildings. In addition to wind and flood damage, we also had rain water that came in through roofs."

Dr. Chapell said he was glad he went through it, but he never wants to again.

"It is all about the preparation phase and being prepared to deal with contingencies," said Dr. Chapell. "We were the first education institution to reopen after the hurricane. Many public highschools and primary schools didn't open until several weeks after us. Having facilities well-prepared in advance is good."

Dr. Chapell has a background in organic chemistry, and studied at the University of Waterloo in Canada.

"Teaching was always something I had an interest in," said Dr. Chapell. "I always believed if you feel you are good at something you should enhance that."

He did some science research at the graduate level, but didn't want to pursue it as a career.

Before moving to the Cayman Islands he worked at Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario.

One of the subjects that he teaches at the University of the Cayman Islands is environmental science. He often uses Hurricane Ivan as an example in his lectures.

"In the Cayman islands the environment was completely different from Canada," he said. "I found it stimulating to learn about the environment and then impart that to my students."

He is an avid scuba diver and was disappointed he wouldn't have enough time in Bermuda on this trip to do any diving.

"I love scuba diving and learning about the marine environment as a hobby and then using that when we are talking about ecosystems," he said.

"I found that very stimulating and good to get the students involved. In Ontario, eco-systems were very different."

Dr. Chapell has been to Bermuda before. His wife, Sandra Coles worked in Bermuda in the 1990s. He and his wife now have a son, Jack, three, born in the Cayman Islands.