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Dr. Belle W. Y. Wei

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Archive of Reflections

Chang-Lin Tien: the Chancellor

"What's not quite recognized is his incredible talent in so many different areas. He was a fantastic teacher. He was truly a famous, distinguished researcher and scientist. He was a wonderful leader, a wonderful person. He was so dedicated.

"He did a fabulous job as chancellor at Berkeley. His deep involvement with the students, his belief that the university was important to the state of California, that the university made it possible for him to pursue a remarkable career in science -- a whole set of factors. He was deeply committed to the university.

He exhibited [his leadership potential] the day he walked onto the Berkeley campus. With that first year, had already established himself as a brilliant researcher, a brilliant teacher.

I'll never forget the stories about families bringing their children to the university for the first time. They're moving in just shortly before school starts, and Chang-Lin is out there greeting them and helping them move their bags into the dormitory rooms."

Richard Atkinson
President, 1995-2003
University of California

"His role with students is astounding. There are all kinds of stories about his working here until 1 in the morning, but also there was a shuttle bus that would pick students up from the library. It was one of our safety measures and would do a route around the campus. If he saw students standing there, even if it's 1 o'clock in the morning, he'd tell them to get in his car and give them a ride.

Just that alone, or taking cookies to the library in finals week when people were studying, dead week, getting ready for finals, reassuring students. He was a cult figure around here with students. Everybody wanted their picture taken with him, and they could tell that he genuinely cared.

He also initiated a big change, which was to welcome students to the campus. When students were moving in, he would be over at the dorms, meeting the parents, carrying the luggage. It was genuine. He loved students and really cared about them and it was just infectious and spread like wildfire. That’s one of these incredible attributes."

John F. Cummins
Associate Chancellor - Chief of Staff
University of California, Berkeley

"One of the regular events we had to start the academic year was the chancellor's reception for new students. He and Mrs. Tien would stand and greet every single new student as they came up the steps in the Martin Luther King Student Union. Not every single one [of the 3,000] was there, but there was the potential. This was something a very high percentage of students did. The point is that they were there.

One of us would be there, would meet the student first, and then introduce the student to Chancellor and Mrs. Tien. One year, as is customary, [students] go into the ballroom after they meet the chancellor, and there are refreshments. Toward the end of the evening, there's a dance. At this one instance, as he finished up meeting all the students, the chancellor went in where the students were dancing and he got in the middle of them and started dancing. The students started saying, 'Go chancellor, go chancellor.' He was absolutely enjoying it. He was a person, he got in the middle of it, and just shared that time with those students.

In addition to being a top scholar, an educator and academic leader, he was also a very strong sports fan. He really enjoyed our Cal athletics teams. There were many times when he and I would be down for a football game and he's jumping in the air as they scored a touchdown.

There was actually a time when in basketball we beat UCLA for the first time in 10 years – this was several years ago – he was pretty excited. They actually took him out, the students did, the fans, on their shoulders. You just don’t get this level of realness from so many chancellors and persons who believe you’ve got to stay in a certain mold.

He was a person of great academic ability, a person of integrity, a person who cared about everybody – the students, the faculty, the staff at the university. He was a person who enjoyed being in the university environment and being a leader who participated fully in the all of the activities of the university.

While he had been successful in fundraising, what he said was that he always made it clear that people were not giving to him, or giving because he was chancellor, but that their commitment was to Berkeley, and they were giving to make Berkeley what it could become. One of the things he always said, 'The state gives us resources for this to be a good university. It does not give us sufficient resources to be a great university.' He would say the margin of difference for greatness comes through the generosity of the university alumni, friends and supporters. 'Why should I be giving money to a public university?' We wanted to be great."

Horace Mitchell
President
California State University, Bakersfield

"Chang-Lin was an ardent supporter of the University and was instrumental in maintaining its pre-eminence. His extraordinary understanding of the importance of raising the institution as a whole, and not partitioning support and creating opposition, was a critical lesson for me."

C.D. "Dan" Mote Jr.
President
University of Maryland, College Park

"I remember walking across the campus with him, and how everybody came to talk to him. He and his wife, they were everywhere. He was devoted to Berkeley. He interacted with everybody. He helped change the tone of the Berkeley campus. He was available to students, community leaders, faculty. It was a more civil, friendlier place. He knew everybody, was known by a lot of people. He was very proud of and devoted to Berkeley, and very knowledgeable about it."

Jack Peltason
President, 1992-1995
University of California

"When he was absent at university events, there was a pervading sense of things being incomplete. And when he did appear, he managed to make those present feel that they were where they wanted to be."

Orville Schell
Dean, the Graduate School of Journalism
University of California, Berkeley

"As the chancellor of UC Berkeley, his personal style set the tone for the campus. His warmth and high visibility also helped make him a popular and effective administrator. Of the hundreds of Berkeley graduates with whom I have spoken, none has ever expressed anything but love and respect for Chancellor Tien. He made Berkeley a better institution, and he helped countless students fulfill their dreams. His achievements in promoting excellence and diversity continue to inspire us all. His legacy is a tremendous source of pride not only for members of our Asian American community, but for all those fortunate enough to have had their lives touched by him.

Dr. Tien led by example. He was humble and selfless, with kindness in his heart for everyone. He felt a particular responsibility to help the disadvantaged and underprivileged. Throughout his career, he worked tirelessly to advance education at all levels, reaching all areas of the world. He demonstrated a unique talent for bringing people and nations together. He especially helped to strengthen ties between Asia and the United States, and among Asian nations.

Dr. Tien's devotion never faltered, his energy never flagged, and he never stopped believing in the possibility of creating a better future. He was a most admired colleague and a role model for us all."

Henry T. Yang
Chancellor
University of California, Santa Barbara

"Chang-Lin was really working to restore some of the internal equanimity at Berkeley, which I think had deteriorated to some extent. I think he was very successful at that. He was of course a great academic scholar in engineering. He had a great many accomplishments. He was someone who had held leadership positions in a variety of areas, a variety of places, and was extremely well respected by the faculty and the students and by his colleagues in the administration, both within the Berkeley campus and among the other campuses."

Charles Young
Chancellor, 1968-1997
University of California, Los Angeles

Photo of Chang-Lin Tien by John Blaustein, courtesy UC Berkeley

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