The Happening

From a small ambition became an issue to help Malaysians and other youngsters to pursue their dreams or goal in life. KDU College was founded by Teo Hang Sam. Constructed in 1981 by Richard Ho, the building was situated at a strategic place between Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur. The college was fully operational by 1983 with the motto “To Succeed Is To Excel”.

The first principal of KDU College was Mrs. Terri Hew. The first enrolment was advertised in major local newspapers in March 1983. By April, the same year, a total of 650 students formed the pioneer batch. The college became an educational pioneer in Malaysia with its American Credit Transfer programme. The first batch of American Degree programme students numbering 150 in total transferred to various universities across the United States in August 1984 was indeed a proud moment for the college. In the same year, the Business School became the first in the nation to run the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) course in a full-time basis. At the same time, Middlesex Polytechnic (now Middlesex University) offered partnership to introduce the very first overseas twinning programme

In 1987, another building which is the School of Hotel and Catering was established because of the growing number of students. Most parents and students were attracted to the facilities, dedicated staff and various courses. There were other factors which they were interested of was that the soothing environment and the support services. As the early years, students and staff had a hard time managing their studies and teaching times. Every year, the college will host an exciting event which is the “Serbanika” for everyone to relax and have fun after the hectic times. Usually, it was held to relax the students and have fun after the hectic times. Usually it was held at year ends where all the exams were over.

In the 21st century, technology was expanding rapidly. In a world that was increasingly interconnected, KDU College continued to forge strong relationships with its students, partner universities and the community. It would be a partnership for life as the college endeavored to give the best possible education to those who had entrusted it with their aspirations for the future. As the time comes to expand the college, in 1991, the Penang branch campus was ready to be set up. In July 1991, the campus was filling with students from 350 – 850. By 1999 – 2000 foreign students from 25 countries such as Indonesia, Mongolia, the Maldives, South Korea, China and Oman were pursuing different courses in both the PJ and Penang campuses.

In 1999, KDU College aligned itself with the country’s ambitious goal of developing SMART schools with its 3 years upgrading exercise costing RM 10million. With its SMART initiative, KDU College become the only private college in Malaysia to offer its students and staff quick access to the internet at the speed of 2mbp/s. students developed leadership and organizational skills through course assignments, club activities and community service projects.

When the new millennium rolled in, KDU College had to ensure that it continued to provide quality education and services where there are far more players in the industry. In 2001, KDU College became the first institute to be accredited by the Lembaga Akreditasi Negara (LAN) for its American Universities Transfer programme. The Malaysian Government also recognized the college’s contributions in IT by conferring the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) status in June 2000. To better support the range of courses, the academic departments of the college was streamlined into 3 schools: the School of Arts and Social Sciences (SASS), the School of Hospitality, Tourism and the Culinary Arts (SHTCA) and the School of Engineering, Science and Technology (SEST).