【5/30/2021】CAPA-NoVA Distinguished Chinese American Project
(Author: Jing Bai)
田长霖 (Chang-lin Tien) (1935 – 2002) was one of the most popular and respected leaders in American higher education and an internationally renowned thermal science expert. Tien was the seventh Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley (1990–1997), the first Asian American to head a major research university in the United States.
Tien was born in Hubei, China in 1935. After graduated from the National Taiwan University in 1956, he went on a fellowship at the University of Louisville in US and finished his PhD in mechanical engineering at Princeton University in 1959. He then joined the UC Berkeley faculty and dedicated most of his professional career there. At age of 26, he was the youngest professor to receive UC Berkeley’s Distinguished Teaching Award. In 1999, Tien received the prestigious title of University Professor for his groundbreaking research and service to the university. In addition to academic accomplishments, he also helped solve problems including Space Shuttle’s insulating tiles and the nuclear reactor meltdown at Three Mile Island.
As chancellor, Tien was very popular with students, best known for his “Go Bears!” spirit. He championed diversity and equal opportunities. When he was a student in Louisville, he had to stop a professor from addressing him as “China man”. His experiences made him sensitive not only to victims of racism, but to all people who suffer disadvantage. Tien set an example for Chinese American community by breaking through the glass ceiling and showcased the leadership that is genuine in care for people.
For more information about Tien,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang-Lin_Tien
https://zh.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/田長霖
【Not only do we live among the stars, the stars live within us!】
