What's Your Big Idea?—Min Kao

🎥 Apr 02, 2012 📺 UniversityofTennesseeKnoxville ⏱ 2m

Faculty, staff, students, and alumni are sharing the big ideas that are making a difference in their world and the world around them. When UT alum Min Kao, founder and chairman of Garmin, heard that the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science had outgrown its current home in Ferris Hall, he donated $12.5 million toward a new building to house the department. Kao visited the campus last month to dedicate the Min H. Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building.

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About Min-hwan Kao

Min Kao, co-founder and executive chairman of Garmin, donated $12.5 million toward a new building for the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Tennessee, his alma mater. Kao visited the campus to dedicate the Min H. Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building. He said that eight years earlier, he had discussed with Dr. Hung the university's commitment to expanding its electrical engineering education, and that the program had outgrown Ferris Hall in size and teaching tools. Kao stated that those early conversations laid the groundwork for the building, which he described as "incredible" and "worth every single day of planning, hard work, and waiting." He expressed hope that the building would attract the finest students and faculty, achieve high educational standards, and inspire graduates to develop ideas that create jobs and shape the world.

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Transcript (1 segments)

Min-hwan Kao0:12

27 years after I left this campus, it was 8 years ago, once I was discussing with Dr. Hung about the university's commitment to expanded world-class electrical engineering education. And he explained that the program had outgrown Ferris Hall both in size and in terms of contemporary teaching tools. Those early conversations laid the groundwork of the building we dedicate today. It is an incredible building in a wonderful location. And I must say that it is worth every single day of planning, hard work, and waiting. But what a building is, is not as important as what a building will do. It is my great hope that this building will attract the finest students and the greatest faculty, to develop and pursue ideas that will create jobs and shape our world.