Academician Ovid J.L. Tzeng to Receive Distinguished Alumni Award

by David Price (February 2011)

University Park, Pa. -- The Penn State Board of Trustees has selected academician Ovid J.L. Tzeng to receive the University's highest award for an individual, the Distinguished Alumni Award.

Tzeng earned his doctorate in educational psychology from Penn State's College of Education in 1973. He now serves in the government of the Republic of China (ROC, also known as Taiwan) in the Executive Yuan, the nation's highest administrative organ, as a minister without portfolio.

An internationally recognized scholar, Tzeng is a leading pioneer in cognitive neuroscientific studies of the Chinese language and is renowned for his extensive analysis of cognition and the memory system. He was the first Penn Stater to be an elected academician of the Academia Sinica, the most prominent academic institution in Taiwan.

Tzeng serves as a key adviser to Taiwan's president, Ma Ying-jeou, and oversees Taiwan's Ministry of Education, Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Ministry of Sport, National News agency, and the Office of Tourism.

Following his graduation from Penn State, Tzeng worked at the University of California, Riverside, rising to the rank of professor of psychology. Moving back to the ROC in the 1990s, he served as a faculty member, department chair, and dean at National Chung Cheng University, then as vice-president and president at National Yang-Ming University.

A ceremony will be held in June 2011 honoring all seven Penn Staters being honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award.