Kang received the Gandhi, King, Ikeda Community Builder Award in 2007 from Morehouse College. He also received the Chang-Lin Tien Education Leadership Award that year from the Asian Pacific Fund. At the time of the latter award, one of his mentors noted on the APF Web site that Kang’s accomplishments were no surprise. “I witnessed his superb ability, creativity and diligence in action,” said Dr. Ernest Kuh, Professor Emeritus in Engineering in the Department of Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, where Kang earned his doctorate in 1975. “I encouraged him to pursue higher academic positions.”

Kang has taught at various institutions, including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also worked for AT&T Bell Laboratories, where as a technical supervisor he led development of the world’s first 32-bit microprocessor chips.

Had Kuh and others not urged him to seek leadership positions, Kang doubts the notion would have occurred to him. But now, Kang believes engineers can ascend more easily than some might think. “Microchips rely on hundreds of millions of transistors. If transistors aren’t connected properly, the chip can fail. Similarly, we can have excellent students, faculty and staff, but we as leaders have to ensure the community as a whole won’t fail.”

Merced is about 120 miles southeast of San Francisco. There, Kang presides over 2,700 students, many of whom are first-generation college-goers from low-income families. In fall 2007, more than 40 percent of undergraduates received Pell Grants. About 33 percent of students are Asian American and 30 percent are Hispanic. Merced’s Black enrollment of 7 percent is among the highest of UC campuses.