Bulletin Winter 1988

Interview - - Professor John Espy Professor John Espy retired during the University's 25th anniversary year, having taught in the University since its first days. However, he is serving the Univer sity for another year on a semi-voluntary basis. The Bulle tin talks to the veteran teacher, a well-loved and fam iliar figure on the campus for many years, in the following animated conversation: Q, You have devoted practically the whole o f y o u r career to teaching. Would y o u tell us f ir s t o f all w h y a y o u n g M I T graduate in chemical engi neering aspired to a teaching career abroad in the T h ird World fr om the outset ， rather than jo in tin g a modem industrial corporation in the United States? A. The choice may have been unconventional but there were others who made similar decisions. A t that time I fe lt a commitment to teach in the Third World where there is a more critical need for education than in the industrialized world. The decision also arose from my own strong religious beliefs and the personal desire to 'make good use o f my life '. So I went to Istanbul as a young man o f twenty-five and taught there at Robert College for six years. Q. D id y o u anticipate any hardship a t the time, in a relatively less developed environment where y o u d id n o t speak the local language? A. I did expect to have to cope w ith the different environment but there was actually very little hardship. There is certainly no hardship these days for a foreigner to work in a place like Hong Kong. When we first arrived, I intended to learn Cantonese, but Dr. Yung Chi Tung reminded me that I would be much too busy to do that, and I took heed from him. Q. When y o u jo ine d Chung Chi College in 1962 ， the subject y o u taught was industrial chemistry. What made y o u decide to change and teach management instead? A. I found that at that time there was almost no demand for graduates in industrial chemistry. Graduates had but two choices: to teach in local middle schools or to go abroad. (I might add that those who went abroad usually did exceedingly well.) My purpose in teaching in Hong Kong was to train people for Hong Kong, and at that time Hong Kong simply was not yet ready to use engineering or scientific people on a large scale. I am glad that Hong Kong has come a long way since then so that there is a real need for certain scientists and engineers today (but probably still not yet for chemical engineers). This being the case, I had to get new qualifications at the age o f forty-five by studying for three years between 1967 and 1970 at the Harvard Business School, where I obtained my DBA degree. I then began a new career w ith the MBA Programmes at the Univer sity. Q. Was there a great need f o r management gradu ates then? A. There was a need but not much actual demand, so I had to call on local organizations to interest them in our graduates. There is certainly a strong demand for our graduates today. Q. What p a rt do y o u th in k y o u played in the devel opmen t o f the University 'sM B A programmes? A. I was not involved at all until 1970. After then I played an active role in their development, particularly in the establishment of the Three- Year MBA Programme, which started in 1977. This part-time evening programme brought us into close contact w ith the business world be cause the students were already middle-level managers in business organizations. Some stu dents know more than we teachers in specific areas but they still learn the theories o f business from us. Overall, I believe they are able to learn quite a b it. 11