AUBURN – Tony Chein is an Auburn alumnus from Taiwan. He teaches at Meiho University in Neipu, Taiwan and is involved with Auburn's Taiwan alumni club.

Q: Talk about where you are from and about your life before coming to Auburn.

TC: Before I went to Auburn, I completed my undergraduate degree in Taiwan. I grew up there and worked as a process engineer at Philips and then worked as a teaching assistant for several years.

Q: How did you find out about Auburn, and why did you decide to attend Auburn?

TC: I did my homework to choose schools I wanted to attend. I liked Auburn from almost the first sight. I read the introductions about it and also did some research. The climate and the assistantship Auburn offered me were key factors in my decision, too.

Q: What was your major, and what years were you at Auburn?

TC: I arrived at Auburn in 1985 to study physics. When I left in 1997, I had a Ph.D. in electrical engineering.

Q: Talk about what your life was like at Auburn.

TC: For most of the time I was in America, I was at Auburn. It's the place I shared many wonderful memories with my wife and first two daughters. The friendly people and nice environment still vividly exist in our memories.

Q: Talk about your life after leaving Auburn.

TC: I worked as an application scientist for a semiconductor equipment company in California for about two years. After that I accepted a teaching position at a college in southern Taiwan. Currently I am a teacher in the Department of Information Management at Meiho University.

Q: What made you want to stay involved with Auburn and be a leader in the Taiwan alumni group?

TC: I joined the Taiwan alumni group when I moved back to Taiwan. We have a very close connection with the friends we met at Auburn. This may sound odd, but I do not consider myself a "leader" in the group. I look at it as a position where I can provide a service as an interface to connect people who have wonderful recollections of Auburn.

Q: Talk about the Taiwan alumni group.

TC: There are almost 300 members in our group. The leaders, the real leaders who came before me, made a lot of effort in getting people together. We usually meet every one or two years but have not met for quite some time. It seems to be about time for us to have a banquet. Many of us want to see our group have a strong tie to other Auburn alumni. If there is something I can do to make a contribution, I'd like to do it.

Last Updated: April 11, 2013