Chang-Lin Tien: the Asian American

"He was magnetized with an almost ineffable quality that made people want to be with him, made one feel proud to be associated with him. As one colleague at Berkeley recently said to me: "When he was present, he managed to convey a sense that everything would somehow be all right."

Steeled in adversity during his younger life, his character became forged through his odyssey from China, to Taiwan and then on a lonely journey to school in Kentucky in the 1950s, when Asians were far less common in the heartland than now. And, through his experiences as an outsider who became an insider, he became utterly dedicated to the idea of public education, diversity and the upward mobility implicit in the American dream. For these causes, he was something of an evangelist. But he always advocated for them in the most decorous and civilized manner.

This is not to say that he was a man without ambition. What distinguished his considerable ambition was that it never manifested itself as naked self-interest. For him, the relevant point of reference was the commonweal, and he seemed to gauge his own progress as a human being and advancement as an educator as being firmly rooted in something larger than himself, or even his immediate family, which was extremely important to him."

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

"What I admired most about Chang Lin was his ability to transcend all social and ethnic barriers. Without exception, everyone admired him --poor students, well-to-do students, super rich alumni, and business and political leaders on both sides of the aisle. Dr Tien was a living example of Confucianism. He had great and sincere respect for all the people he led.

Leslie Tang Schilling 
Regent 
University of California 

"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 

"I think [he had a] clear understanding that affirmative action had been, despite all of the critics' claims, instrumental in increasing the quality of the university. The University of California, certainly Berkeley was there, moved dramatically during that period, and it had it greatest movement towards greatness during the period in which it was most engaged in affirmative action, and in which the diversity of the campus grew as rapidly. It's the right thing for the university. It's the right thing for higher education. He would have said the same thing.

Every doctor who graduated from the University of California in the '90s is a better doctor than one who graduated in the '80s because they had been educated in something that's like the real world. The same is true for every teacher, every lawyer. He understood that clearly, and that's the base from which he started.

He used to talk about when he came to the United States, what happened to him and how much he was able to accomplish, and he wanted to provide that same opportunity for everybody."

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

"This was the dinner before the Big Game, which was being held at Berkeley at the chancellor’s house. Gerhard Casper, the president of Stanford, got up and he said something like, 'Here are two of the greatest universities in the world, Stanford and Berkeley, and we're all very proud of those two great universities. But where else in the world could these two great universities be led by two individuals who talk funny?'"

Richard Atkinson 
President, 1995-2003 
University of California 

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