Students pursuing a career in business, education, information technology and law at Orange County’s Westcliff University probably don’t realize their professional lives are intertwined with the fall of Saigon in 1975.
But Dr. Anthony Lee is here in Orange County as a direct result of his father escaping the Southeast Asian nation for the United States. Lee, nearly 50 years later, is the president of Westcliff University – a for-profit institute of higher learning that was on the verge of closing before he took over the school’s top leadership role.
The Westcliff president credits his father, who owned several English schools in Vietnam before fleeing to America, for guiding him as he grew a successful academic institution in Orange County.
Lee told the Business Journal his parents made “the ultimate sacrifice” in fleeing Vietnam with his sister, who was three or four years old at the time, and infant brother. Lee, the youngest of four children, was not yet born.
The Lee family arrived in Southern California and initially lived in Inglewood, sharing an apartment with Lee’s uncles and aunts.
“My dad is a big entrepreneur and educator. I think one of his first jobs he was a translator because he spoke English very well,” said Lee. “He used to teach English in Vietnam.”
Lee’s father worked with those who left Vietnam and arrived in the U.S., helping them communicate in a variety of situations. At one point Lee’s father even worked for the Department of Motor Vehicles.
American Beginning
Eventually, Lee’s father struck out on his own and launched his own businesses in the U.S.
“Just seeing the struggles that he went through, my mom went through, and my brother and sister. We didn’t always have it good, but, fortunately, he was able to be successful in some of his business ventures for me to have the privilege of having a better life,” Lee said.
Lee, in watching his dad rebuild a new life in the United States for his family, learned about perseverance and being proactive about growth.
“That perseverance that he had to get through and just pivoting, he went through some issues, I saw it all, the good and the bad,” Lee told the Business Journal. “For him to navigate all of that and can just continue to push forward has really inspired me to do the same with Westcliff.”
Watching his father’s path was one thing, but translating his parents’ lessons into the journey Lee ultimately took as an educator and entrepreneur didn’t materialize until 2008, when he graduated with an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles.
“I had friends that were struggling to find jobs. You couldn’t find any job. I was very lucky where my dad had multiple businesses and then he had Westcliff,” Lee said. “He was like, ‘I want you to take this over because if you don’t take it over, I might have to close it down.’”
There were only 20 students enrolled at Westcliff at the time Lee’s father made his ultimatum.
International Expansion
As university president and CEO, Lee, who received a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Southern California, grew the student base by expanding the school’s academic offerings, awarding more than $12 million in scholarships and providing online and on-campus courses within a flexible system. In 2021, he spearheaded the acquisition of Western State College of Law, now called Western State College of Law at Westcliff University.
Lee also guided Westcliff’s international expansion, as the university recently announced it is opening a new campus in Toronto.
“What I think has been fortunate is I’ve always tried to continue to see what’s next for us. We were doing really well five years ago, growing 20-30%, but I was like, okay, we can’t get complacent,” Lee said. “Let’s figure out what’s our next initiative.”
Some of those new initiatives are coming to life. Westcliff’s Toronto campus will have a nursing program, while Lee is bringing the university’s e-learning academy to life.
Westcliff will also be offering dual language programs in Vietnamese, French and Spanish.
Through it all, Lee said his dad still acts as a mentor and advisor. His mom also continues to be supportive.
For his work serving the Orange County community, as well as leading one of the region’s top online colleges, Lee along with five other local Vietnamese American entrepreneurs are being recognized by the Business Journal this week in commemoration of 50 years since the fall of Saigon under the title: “Vietnam’s Loss, Orange County’s Gain.”
“Don’t rest on your laurels, you can’t get complacent,” Lee said.