Dr I Lourdesamy took a deep breath. Trying not to sound annoyed, he explained – yet again – what a community college was and what credit transfer meant to the education ministry officials.

They listened and then asked the same question: why call his proposed college the Petaling Jaya Community College (PJCC). And what was this new-fangled concept of studying two years at his college and two years in the US.

In 1984 Malaysia, students went to university for three or four years – at one stretch at the same institution – after obtaining the Higher School Certificate.

The concepts of community college and credit transfer, which were unique to the American education system, were only known to a few Malaysians.

It took several visits to the ministry, and about six months, for Lourdesamy, who had done his PhD at the University of Pittsburgh, to convince the officials to approve the establishment of PJCC.

Simultaneously, the educationist was at his wit’s end trying to get the Petaling Jaya Municipal Council to give him a permit to operate in the municipality.

Officials insisted he drop the PJ from the name, saying it could be misconstrued as a government project or the council’s project. They also said it was a private enterprise and had nothing to do with the community. It took several months of persistence before Lourdesamy was able to win them over.

Today, almost every private university or college in the country offers an American degree transfer programme and almost every secondary school student is aware of it.

Also, today we have community colleges – run by the government – to give school leavers and working adults a chance to upgrade their knowledge and skills.

These Kolej Komuniti, many of which are in rural areas, stress on technical and vocational training.

The American degree transfer programme was introduced to Malaysia by Kolej Damansara Utama a semester ahead of PJCC in 1983, but it was Lourdesamy who popularised it and made PJCC the go to college for an American education.

In fact, PJCC’s tagline was “The Specialist in American Education”.

Lourdesamy, now 85, quit as director of the MIC-owned Vanto Academy in early 1984 to start PJCC.

He tells me: “My experience at Vanto gave me confidence that I could successfully run a college. I knew the foreign education market was dominated by British and Australian institutions and felt there was a market for American education.

“I rounded up some friends and academics and set up the PJCC. At that time, however, I didn’t know that KDU had just started an American degree transfer programme.”

The first US college Lourdesamy hooked up with was the Hawaii Pacific College (HPC).

This was because a HPC brochure that he received in the mail while at Vanto had sparked the idea of starting a college to offer the American degree transfer programme.

“I wrote to the dean of the business school at Hawaii Pacific College, Arnold Lipkin, at the end of 1983 to ask if I were to set up a college offering transfer programmes, would he accept.

“He said yes. He was my guide in setting up the college, even advising me to use the title of president of PJCC, instead of director, to be in line with American practice,” says the educationist who has since authored several books on management.

By ensuring academic quality, Lourdesamy got recognition for PJCC from an increasing number of US institutions until more than 200 universities and colleges accepted his students.

They included the University of Texas at Arlington, Indiana University, Rice University, the University of Pittsburgh, California State University at San Bernardino, University of Virginia, Washington State University, University of Georgia and University of Wisconsin, Madison.

In fact, Lourdesamy introduced the first American MBA programme in the country, linking up with Oklahoma City University. He actually flew in the lecturers from the US for the programme.

In 1997, he sold his shares in PJCC (which later became City University College) and set up the Pacific Institute of Technology, now known as Asia College of Technology (ACT), in Petaling Jaya.

From concentrating purely on American education, he shifted to local institutions, tying up with University of Malaya’s (UM) Centre for Continuing Education, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Open University of Malaysia.

Why? US education was becoming more expensive due to the higher exchange rate and American education had become too competitive, with big players entering the field in Malaysia.

Although ACT’s focus is collaboration with local universities, it also works with universities in the UK and New Zealand.

It runs diploma programmes and offers executive education for working adults who want to upgrade their professional skills; the admission is more flexible and they can study Saturdays and Sundays. It’s largely industry-based content. ACT also has an executive MBA programme.

I ask how he started his career as an educationist.

Lourdesamy became a temporary teacher at his alma mater Anderson School in Ipoh after completing his Cambridge Certificate in 1954.

The following year, he was among the first batch of locals to be sent for teacher training at Brinsford Lodge, under Birmingham University, in England.

Upon his return about 30 months later, he was posted to the Pasir Puteh English School.

While teaching, he enrolled for Form 6 under the government’s further education classes for adults scheme. The bright and diligent Lourdesamy completed his Higher School Certificate in one year instead of the normal two years.

In 1960, his application to UM was successful, as was his application for a federal scholarship. He didn’t know then that one of his university mates, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, would one day become prime minister.

After graduating with an honours degree in History, Lourdesamy taught at two schools before being appointed organiser of secondary schools for Perak. But it was short-lived.

Within a month he was transferred back to Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Ipoh because his Form 6 students had directly petitioned the education minister in Kuala Lumpur for his return.

In 1966, when he was deputy chief education officer of Penang, he saw an advertisement from UM seeking those interested to pursue a Masters and PhD and to then become faculty members at the university. A fellowship was being offered by the Ford Foundation in collaboration with UM.

Lourdesamy was selected but the education ministry refused to give him no-pay leave.

“I appealed but the ministry refused, saying if I wanted to go, I had to resign. However, Malay friends who were in government service in other ministries who came to Pittsburg with me were given paid leave to do the Masters and PhD,” Lourdesamy recalls.

“It was a difficult decision to take as I had been teaching for more than 10 years, was pensionable and was married with two children. But I have always liked to study, it has always been a challenge to me to increase my knowledge and skills, so I resigned and went to the University of Pittsburg’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.”

US Masters’ students would usually take four courses per semester, while international students would take three. Lourdesamy, however, was a man in a hurry and gave his academic adviser prof William D Brinckloe a shock when he said he wanted to do five.

He scored 5As in both the first and second semesters and as his third semester started, Brinckloe told Lourdesamy: “Write to me to say you want to skip Masters and go direct to the PhD programme. I will take it up with the university.”

A special committee of the university was convened, his application discussed and approved. He did 20 subjects in four semesters and then worked on his dissertation.

“That is why today I have a BA followed by a PhD, but no Masters’ degree,” Lourdesamy says.

Upon returning to Malaysia in 1972, he joined the Faculty of Economics and Administration at UM.

Soon the government began consulting him on issues related to improving the civil service in Sabah and Sarawak.

He was a consultant for the National Institute of Public Administration or INTAN. The government appointed him the Wages Council chairman for a term, where he pushed for minimum wages for some sectors, and he also served on the National Productivity Centre.

In addition, the World Bank consulted him on a manpower study in Malaysia, and trade unions, including the National Union of Plantation Workers general-secretary PP Narayanan, picked his brains on various issues. He also conducted training programmes for unions.

He did all this while carrying out his full-time job of lecturing.

But it’s no surprise to those who know the man; for Lourdesamy relishes a challenge – especially if it means he’ll gain new knowledge.

One day in 1975, he received a call from Narayanan, who was then also the president of the powerful Malaysian Trades Union Congress.

“We’ve obtained a licence from the government to start a bank and I want you to join the team.” Lourdesamy had, in fact, been on a committee set up by unionist V David to study the setting up of a workers’ bank.

There was no interview. There was no discussion about salary or contracts.

Lourdesamy said yes, and he was appointed deputy general manager (administration) while Yeoh Teik Chye, a unionist working in a bank, was made deputy general manager (operations) of Bank Buruh.

The post of general manager was kept vacant at that time as they wanted someone with solid banking experience.

Bank Buruh was established in 1976. But Lourdesamy, who did a stint as acting general manager, found that banking was not his cup of tea and so left in 1979.

The following year, the MIC bought Vanto Academy – one of the largest private colleges then – from two brothers, and Lourdesamy received a phone call from MIC president S Samy Vellu inviting him to lead Vanto.

Lourdesamy, who was named director, steered Vanto to great success.

While Samy Vellu generally left him alone, other MIC politicians began to interfere and so Lourdesamy left Vanto in 1984 to start PJCC and, in the process, began a new chapter in Malaysian education.

Students who are today taking the American degree transfer programme or who are attending community colleges are probably unaware of the debt they owe to this pioneer educationist.

Even institutions successfully running the American degree transfer programme may not know how much they owe this self-made son of a humble school gardener.