Rose Tseng, PhD, is an educator, administrator and champion of entrepreneurial projects. In both California and Hawai‘i, she has established extensive partnerships between the university and the business community to benefit the states and the Asia-Pacific region. She was instrumental in developing a business park at Mission College in Silicon Valley and significantly expanded the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo’s Science and Technology Park.

During her 12-year tenure as chancellor of UH Hilo (1998-2010) and five years prior to that as CEO at West Valley College-Mission Community College District in Silicon Valley, Dr. Tseng proved adept at running the business of higher education, managing 2,000 employees with an $80 million budget in Silicon Valley and at UH Hilo, 600 employees with a $85 million budget. At UH Hilo, she worked with government, community and business leadership toward a balance between a prepared workforce and meaningful jobs. She was successful at bringing a College of Pharmacy to UH Hilo with highest caliber faculty training pharmacists to serve both the state and the Pacific Basin.

Over the course of 23 years prior to her appointment as Chancellor/CEO at West Valley-Mission Community College District, she was professor, department chair and then dean of the College of Applied Sciences and Arts at San José State University. She has developed and taught many graduate and undergraduate courses in chemistry, multicultural health, nutrition, and research methodology, and also served as a thesis advisor. Dr. Tseng served as principle consultant for nutrition at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, 1986-1993.

Under Dr. Tseng’s leadership, UH Hilo experienced a 50 percent increase in enrollment and a 600 percent increase in grant funding to $20 million annually. She was instrumental in obtaining funding for construction of many new buildings. She initiated the grant that brought the National Science Foundation’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program to Hawai‘i to improve the entire state’s research infrastructure.

Dr. Tseng is the author and co-author of many peer-reviewed scientific publications, and has presented numerous papers at professional conferences on health, leadership, higher education and multicultural issues. She has conducted research in nutrition, obesity, metabolism, and health programs among multicultural groups. She is the recipient of numerous awards including honorary doctorates from Josai International University, Japan, and China Medical University. She received the Island Business Model award and was honored as a role model by the Hawai‘i State Legislature. She was Statewide Role Model Woman of the Year from the California State Legislature and received a White House Commendation.

Dr. Tseng received a BS in chemistry at Kansas State University. She received a MS and a PhD and was a postdoctoral research fellow in nutritional sciences, with minors in biochemistry and physiology, at the University of California at Berkeley. She passed the exam for Certification for Registered Dietician (RD). She holds a certificate in Education Management from Harvard University.

Updated Jan 2011