Driving an old used car and gazing at his lovely wife beside him, 24-year-old Chang-lin Tien could scarcely conceal his glee. And no wonder: During the past couple of months, he had become a fresh-from-the-mill Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Princeton University, a newly appointed assistant professor at the University of California at Berkeley and a brand-new bridegroom all at once. In heading to his job, he had decided to make a cross-country honeymoon trip with his bride.

To their dismay, when they arrived in Berkeley and began to look around for an apartment, they discovered that homes in the better neighborhoods near campus weren't available to blacks or Orientals.

Thirty-two years later --

A host of notables and dignitaries are assembling at the open-air Greek amphitheater on a hillside on the Berkeley campus. To the sound of a stirring march, groups of students, alumni, faculty members and representatives from various distinguished circles file in one after another. The whole scene is a sea of sapphire, crimson, gold and purple gowns and regalia, topped by heads of blond, red, brown, black and white hair, the grandeur charged with an air of festivity. After the groups have all settled down in their seats, energetic, 55-year-old Chang-lin Tien strides in at the head of the University of California contingent, and the crowd of 5,000 or more rises to its feet and applauds enthusiastically at the investiture of the first Asian-American chancellor in the university's 123-year history.

Breaking a Stereotype: Thirty-two years, a full generation. The United States has passed through an awkward era of racial confrontation. Chang-lin Tien and his wife, Di-Hwa, have become the parents of three children, and the Tiens have become a typical "Berkeley family"--their son and two daughters, who have gone on to other universities for further study, all received undergraduate degrees there. Tien himself, from an assistant professor who couldn't rent apartments reserved for whites, has climbed to the top position at this first-rate academic institution.

"He's broken the stereotype of the typical Chinese," Tung-Yen Lin, a master bridge builder who was a Berkeley professor for 30 years, says with excitement. "He proved that Chinese can be more than just bookworms."

Since World War Ⅱ, as students have replaced laborers as the mainstay of Chinese immigration, the image of Chinese Americans has leapt from impoverished working class to "model minority." Chinese engineers are in conspicuous evidence at NASA, IBM, Bell Laboratories and other high-tech institutions, and the academic world has produced Nobel Prize winners Chen Ning Yang, Tsung Dao Lee, Samuel C.C. Ting and Yuan T. Lee. But the performance of Chinese in management and administration has been less than sterling: They've always been labeled as "not interested" or "not suited" for the job. The recent flow back to Taiwan of Chinese in Silicon Valley, dubbed the "reverse brain drain," and the widespread popularity among Chinese Americans of setting up their own businesses are two encouraging signs to those looking for a breakthrough.

A New Path for Minorities: With his appointment as chancellor of the University of California at Berkeley, Chang-lin Tien has not only set a precedent for Chinese Americans, he has also become the first member of a minority in America (including blacks and Hispanics) to serve as the president of a leading academic institution. As a result, when the news of his selection--over more than 250 other candidates--was announced in 1990, it immediately became a focus of attention in Chinese communities across the United States and the world.

Oddly enough, a fierce controversy had been raging in California's Asian community over the past five years because of the university's decision to restrict admission of Asian students--why appoint Chang-lin Tien chancellor now? Some people surmise it was a "political" maneuver designed to placate public ire.

That is a supposition the president of the University of California system, David Pierpont Gardner, categorically denies. "Chang-lin Tien's credentials are impeccable. His professional record, his administrative record and his judgment are all outstanding and fully worthy of his office."

"As far as I know, Chang-lin Tien was the only candidate chosen by the president and approved unanimously by the selection committee. They didn't consider the minority factor at all. And if they had, it would have been a plus in his favor," Tung-Yen Lin says with a smile.

Sterling Marks: Chang-lin Tien's resume does indeed boast resounding credentials.

As an educator, he won Berkeley's prestigious Distinguished Teaching Award when he was just 26, the youngest age at which it has ever been conferred.

As a scholar, he is a world-renowned authority in the field of heat transfer technology who has won numerous awards and fellowships and published more than 250 papers in learned journals. At the same time, he is also a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and the R.O.C.'s Academia Sinica.

As an administrator, Dr. Tien has risen through the ranks over the past two decades, from assistant professor to chairman of the mechanical engineering department, to vice chancellor of research, to executive vice chancellor at the University of California, Irvine. His record and achievements at each stage were excellent.

"The mechanical engineering department at Berkeley never used to be anything special. It wasn't until he became chairman and brought in outstanding young professors to make their mark that its reputation went up," says Ernest S. Kuh, a professor of electrical engineering who, as head of the College of Engineering, was once Dr. Tien's "superior officer."

As vice chancellor of research, Dr. Tien achieved accomplishments that still win praise today. One of them is that research funds raised from the government and the private sector surpassed US$100 million for the first time. Another was his success in calming a storm of protest by animal rights groups over animal experimentation.

Best Choice in the Land: What Dr. Tien did was to face the issue head on. As soon as the protests occurred, he set out building a truly firstrate animal research center with spacious surroundings, complete climate control facilities and a comfort level that made some professors "turn green with envy." In addition, school authorities beefed up spot checks to ensure that researchers adhered to regulations about anaesthetizing animals before experimentation, respecting their psychological health and so forth. The incident ended with a situation the animal rights groups weren't satisfied with but could accept.

"With his fine record of performance and his in-depth knowledge of Berkeley, he was clearly the best choice in the entire country,'' says Shiing-Shen Chern, a professor emeritus of mathematics at the university. As soon as he heard that the previous chancellor was going to step down, he thought Chang-lin Tien should be his successor.

Looking back on the past, Dr. Tien says that, like many other Chinese students abroad, he was under enormous pressure when he first came to the United States and studied as hard as he could. "I hit the books 17 or 18 hours a day back then, even while I was eating," he recalls.

One reason he worked so hard was heavy financial pressure because he had borrowed money to go overseas. Another possibility is that before leaving Taiwan he had made a "secret backyard vow" with his fiancee and biggest supporter, Di-hwa Liu, whom he affectionately refers to as the "big boss," and he hoped to complete his studies as quickly as possible so he could bring her to the U.S. and marry her. In any event, his hard work paid off. He earned a master's degree from the University of Louisville in a single year and then a second master's degree and a doctorate at Princeton University in a record speed of 20 months.

That rate of progress shows how gifted he is academically, but for Chinese students bursting with talent it's not so extraordinary. Dr. Tien has other strong points that make him stand out from the crowd.

Pitchman for Academicians: "Most overseas Chinese have little success with administrative work, and a big reason is their poor verbal skills," Professor Kuh says. "Chang-lin Tien not only isn't afraid to speak up, he's very persuasive."

Kuh reveals with a smile that Dr. Tien used to "hold forth at length" with "laudable courage." As his verbal skills steadily improved, he was able to bring the dry subject of mechanical engineering to life in class and cut straight to the point in conferences. "When he returned to Taiwan to attend the Academia Sinica conference last year, the mathematics, science and engineering group asked him to be its main speaker. His sales pitch was so effective that eight of the 10 candidates in the group were elected members of the academy."

Dr. Tien also has a personality trait that is rarely seen in Chinese, especially first-generation immigrants to America.

"I often feel he's like something out of the Boy Scout handbook: 'happy, smiling, taking everything in stride,'" quips Nobel Prize winner Yuan T. Lee, a professor of chemistry at the school.

His son, Norman, who is studying for a doctorate in electrical engineering at the University of California in San Diego, says his father is a thorough optimist and ever young at heart. Also, he's "mischievous" and jokes a lot.

"Mother is quiet and reserved, and she's had to go out of her way to adjust to him there," he says with a smile.

Dr. Tien's fondness for jokes has made him popular with colleagues and students alike. Mrs. Tien ribs him that "you earned your distinguished teacher award by telling jokes." Kidding around has had side effects he hadn't count on, though. When he took a pratfall on the steps in front of his house once, he gritted his teeth and told his children, "Go inside and tell mother!" But all three started to laugh and no one believed him.

Recovering His Real Self: His sunny disposition has enabled him to break out of the victim syndrome that members of minority groups all too often fall prey to and to see things straight without carrying a lot of excess baggage.

"I think his abilities have been secondary in his rise to where he is today. The main thing is his healthy attitude," Tung-Yen Lin says, explaining that Chinese immigrants often suffer from a feeling that they're always being looked down on and that all their problems revolve around prejudice, with the result that every little problem turns into a big one. "He doesn't have that hang-up, so he gives both Americans and Chinese a good feeling."

In fact, Dr. Tien has suffered discrimination and gone through a period of withdrawing into his shell himself. It's just that he managed to shrug it off.

"When I first came to America, I was young and excluded, so I kept to myself a lot and didn't relate to others," he recalls. Back then, he faced discrimination trying to rent an apartment and even in riding the bus. One professor refused to call him by name, referring to him as "Chinaman" instead. The accumulated slights and indignities took their toll on his naturally open and outgoing temperament. "The advantage was that it made me bury my head in my books--in studying, teaching and research -- and accomplish something. But I had practically become another person."

After he realized that things weren't right, he encouraged himself to relate to people more and to take part in more school activities, thereby slowly recovering his naturally sunny disposition. "Many immigrants have never gotten past that hurdle, and they stay unhappy all their lives," he sighs.

A characteristic Chinese trait of his has been a great boon too, he maintains. "Chinese people respect their elders and value human feelings. In an impersonal, highly industrialized society, that's brought me a lot of benefits."

Challenges Ahead: Just as most people see him as sunny and outgoing without knowing how he got there, many people don't realize that, masterful administrator as he is, teaching is actually his first love. Even now, he still teaches a freshman course and guides students in research, although his time in the lab has shrunk considerably because of other commitments.

"I hesitated before becoming chancellor, because I realized it might very well mean giving up teaching, which I dearly love. But the job isn't just a question of my personal interests. It represents a breakthrough for Asians in American society, and I had a responsibility to accept it," Dr. Tien says. If he had turned the job down, it would have strengthened the stereotype that "Asian Americans aren't interested in administrative work and won't work for the common good," and "that would have had a negative influence on their future development."

Dr. Yuan T. Lee thinks that Dr. Tien's appoint ment as chancellor should be seen as an opportunity for Asian Americans to excel. "The best way for him to help Asian Americans is to do a good job in the future. The present is only a beginning."

Indeed, Dr. Tien has many challenges ahead of him.

"Berkeley is a very problematic place, and the chancellor may have the toughest job of any university president in America," says Tung-Yen Lin. Ernest S. Kuh agrees and points out that Berkeley has a strong liberal tradition, extremely progressive students and one of the most powerful faculties in the country. Situated in northern California, with many Hispanic and Asian Americans, it is more sensitive and susceptible to ethnic problems than most universities elsewhere. In addition, as a state school, it has a lot "busybodies" looking over its shoulders, and it has to consider the views of left-wingers, right-wingers and a host of minority groups, unlike a private university.

Asian Benefactors: Other challenges ahead are the old problem of whether the university favors its graduate schools at the expense of its undergraduate program and how the school will maintain its leading academic position in the face of state cuts in educational funding and the planned retirement of 4O percent of its senior faculty during the next ten years.

In response, Dr. Tien has drawn up four major policy directions: continuing to raise academic standards; diversifying the university community with access to resources for all ethnic groups; improving undergraduate education; and strengthening international ties in line with the approach of the Pacific era.

As for developing relations with the Asian- Pacific Basin, Dr. Tien is off to a good start. As the first Asian American to serve as the head of a topnotch American university, he has already obtained broad support in the region. His investiture on March 22 was attended by officials and representatives from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, Singapore, Japan, Korea and Indonesia, some of whom brought along big "red envelopes" of money as congratulations. As for the R.O.C., which has deep ties with both Berkeley and Dr. Tien--he graduated from Kien Kuo senior high school and National Taiwan University before going to the U.S. and Berkeley boasts more members of Academia Sinica than any other university overseas--the Ministry of Education, the Legislative Yuan and the private sector have donated US$3 million since his appointment was announced in support of its research on East Asia and other broad academic areas.

"But we're not out to set up relations only with Asia," Dr. Tien says. "Other areas in the world are important too." After the German government recently donated US$10 million to Berkeley, he heard Yen Chen-hsing, a national policy advisor to the president, say at a luncheon, "We're US$7 million behind!"

As a university chancellor with no fixed term of office, 55 years old and in the prime of life, how many years will Dr. Tien remain at his post and what will his future accomplishments be? In the words of Yuan T. Lee: "Now is the real beginning, but we all have high hopes for him." Even if serving as chancellor of Berkeley is like "walking on eggshells," with the masterly skills he has acquired over the years, shouldn't Dr. Tien, who was once a fan of kungfu novels, be able to "walk over them like smooth ground"?

[Picture Caption]

The University of Berkeley held the investiture of its new chancellor in front of it's ancient-style Greek theater. The man at the far left is the first Asian-American chancellor in the university's 123-year history -- Chang- lin Tien.

The University of California at Berkeley is a liberal stronghold, where ethnic problems are particularly overt and complex. It's recognized as one of the toughest u niversities in the U.S. to be president of.

"Chang-lin Tien's credentials are impeccable. His professional record, his administrative record and his judgment are all outstanding"--the words of David Pierpont, Gardner, president of the University of California system.

For Dr. Tien, doing administrative work isn't question of personal interest. It represents a breakthrough for Asian Americans.

Warm and affectionate, Di-hwa Liu buys a Chinese-language newspaper and keeps her husband company at the office when he has to work late.

The first Asian American to heed a topnotch American university, Dr. Tien became a focus of media attention across the land.

The University of California at Berkeley is a liberal stronghold, where ethnic problems are particularly overt and complex. It's recognized as one of the toughest u niversities in the U.S. to be president of.

"Chang-lin Tien's credentials are impeccable. His professional record, his administrative record and his judgment are all outstanding"--the words of David Pierpont, Gardner, president of the University of California system.