Teh-Kuang Chang, the 2016 Ball State Daily News Person of the Year and longtime political science professor at Ball State, shows no signs of letting age slow him down.
He will turn 91 on September 15. Over the summer, Chang was honored by the International Political Science Association (IPSA) for 40 years of involvement in research in the area of Asian Pacific Studies.
Chang received the award at the 24th World Congress of Political Science in Poznan, Poland. He was honored on July 23 at the Opening Ceremony.
This award is the result of years of pioneering research. Chang’s first World Congress was in Munich, Germany, in 1970. At that time, the organization did not include Asian or Pacific countries in their discussions or panels — Chang wanted to change that.
“As a world organization, I felt that the IPSA should cover all issues and parts of the world,” Chang said.
At the 1976 World Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland, Chang proposed the creation of an Asian and Pacific Studies division of research. Twenty-three scholars cosigned the proposal and it was approved.
Since then, Chang has been the chair of the Asian and Pacific Studies division and has been a part of many research projects and panels to ignite conversation and understanding about this part of the world.
At the opening ceremony, the audience watched a video about Chang’s life that included his family members. After he gave his acceptance speech, he received a standing ovation, something he felt was remarkable with over 100 different countries represented in the audience.
The day was made even more special by a performance from his daughter, Angelin Chang. A Grammy award-winning pianist, Anglein performed three times during the Congress.
Chang said he is extremely grateful for his career with Ball State. He believes the university helped him reach his accomplishments, and hopes the exposure his award received will generate awareness for the talent present at Ball State.
“Without Ball State, you can’t have this kind of success,” he said. “I appreciate Ball State so much for the opportunities it has allowed me.”
Chang continues to teach and inspire students. He holds three principles of life very dear to his heart.
“One, perserverance. Never give up. Two, creativity. Make something new. And three, inspiration," he said.
Chang taught these principles to both his own children and his students as the three keys to a happy, successful life.
His other piece of advice for students is not to worry about where you attended school.
“People think they have to go to a famous university to be great. I always say, ‘Not everyone can come from a famous university, but you can make your university famous,’” Chang said.
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