By Paul Feinberg
A Chinese proverb suggests, “When drinking water, think of its source; gratitude for the source of benefit.” It’s a reminder that when considering your life, always remember what helped you along the way.
That’s how Dr. Paul Hsieh (Ph.D. ’70) feels about his days at what was then UCLA’s Graduate School of Business Administration. Since he graduated, Hsieh has expressed his gratitude in a variety of ways: He founded the school’s alumni chapter in Taiwan and has made a series of gifts, including those that named UCLA Anderson’s Dr. Paul N. Hsieh Study Room and created the Paul Hsieh Fellowship. Now, in celebration of Hsieh’s 80th birthday, his daughter Yvonne Hsieh (’03) and her husband and classmate David Schumacher (’03) recognize his remarkable legacy with a significant gift that will name the Foyer in the new Marion Anderson Hall in his honor. This fitting tribute will be appreciated by scores of students, faculty and visitors to the new building, which is set to open in late 2019.
Hsieh earned his bachelor’s degree in Taiwan. After a stint in the military, he ventured to Japan, where he added a master’s degree and planned to return to Taiwan after graduation. But plans change. “At that time, I could not go back to Taiwan,” Hsieh says, because the political climate prevented his return. “I decided to go to the United States to continue my studies. But I didn’t have any money to support myself.”
New York City was Hsieh’s first U.S. stop. He studied English at NYU before landing a position at Mitsubishi International Corporation, a Japanese trading company. Desiring to stay and find work in the States, he decided to continue his education. He rode a Greyhound bus to L.A. and, when UCLA made him an offer that combined a scholarship with a paid teaching position, he chose UCLA over Berkeley. Hsieh earned his doctorate in business administration with a specialization in quantitative methods.
“At that time, almost no students went back to Taiwan to work,” Hsieh says. “When I moved back in 1976 with a Ph.D. from UCLA, I could get any job I wanted. It was a big advantage.” His career took many turns, leading him for a time into the banking industry and entrepreneurship. Hsieh started several companies involving car stereos and home theaters, including Pioneer Taiwan Ltd.
Hsieh credits his time at UCLA’s Graduate School of Business for much of his success. But the school means more than just “career” to him: it means friends and family as well. In addition to Yvonne and son-in-law David, his daughter Elaine Hsieh-Sakamoto (’95) graduated from Anderson. His lifelong friends include UCLA roommates Michael Suzuki (’66), Dr. Il Sa Kong (’66, Ph.D. ’69) and the late Aki Kanasugi (’67). The quartet kept in touch throughout the years.
Hsieh says that he gives back to UCLA Anderson because “I’d like to show that my background from UCLA gave me lots of good things.”
“What my father really would like,” Yvonne Hsieh says, “is to show everybody who visits UCLA, ‘Look, I was able to benefit from UCLA and so can you,’ and to encourage the next generation of Taiwanese to have hope that there is a chance that they can succeed; that UCLA can be part of their lives.”
The Hsieh Family’s generous support of Marion Anderson Hall, part of the school’s $300 million initiative Into the Next: The Campaign for UCLA Anderson, will transform the educational experience of our students and help Anderson lead the future of business education.
A real inspirational biographu of Dr. Hsieh.
Thanks for the great stories like this which is a push for us to go for the best and trying to serve others better and better...
and by the way this proverb was so great to me too:
“When drinking water, think of its source"
by the way I'd be glad to visit our website which has great articles about psychology and consultation in family relationship. But need some google translate to turn it to english.
Best wishes and blessings for you
Posted by: مشاوره خانواده | 01/30/2018 at 04:32 AM