The Berkeley Path of Tian Changlin

Author: Liu Xiaoli
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-10-01
Features: In 1990, with the amazement of white onlookers, Tan Changlin took over as the seventh president of the University of California, Berkeley, becoming the first Asian American president in the school's 122-year history. He also set a new record for Asian Americans holding the presidency of a university in the United States. That year, at the age of 21, Tan Changlin flew alone to the southern United States, overcoming racial discrimination and the dominance of whites in a foreign land to earn master's and doctoral degrees in a short time. At the age of 26, he became the youngest recipient of the "Outstanding Professor Award" at UC Berkeley. In terms of academic expertise, he was an authority in "radiative heat transfer." During his seven-year tenure as president, he turned obstacles into opportunities, becoming UC Berkeley's most capable fundraising expert and the most approachable president in the eyes of the students. The media hailed him as a "paragon of academic leadership in modern university history." This book tells the story of Tan Changlin's struggles and his legendary leadership as a president.