I have always appreciated how the high-quality education I received at Madison enabled me to have a successful life in the corporate world |  | An experienced technology executive and entrepreneur, Peter Tong (’65 MS Eng), believes that “knowledge of business principles is paramount to success in either public or private sector business.” During his career, Peter, a native of Shanghai, China, has been involved in creating businesses in medical technology and has led several highly profitable mergers.
Peter came to the U.S. in 1959. In 1965, a year after earning his master’s degree from the UW in electrical engineering, he and a fellow graduate student, Richard Thomas, started T&T Technology, which was later merged into Technicon. He has retired from actively managing medical technology companies, but remains involved in the business world by serving on the boards of directors of the Promega Corporation and Berbee Information Networks Corporation, both in Madison.
In an ongoing commitment to the UW-Madison College of Engineering, Peter, who lives in Friday Harbor, Washington, has helped to create a new Business for Engineers class. Peter and his wife Janet (’65 MS SOHE), have made a gift to fund the course through the Tong Family Foundation. He is working with Associate Professor Dan van der Weide, course instructor, and College of Engineering Dean Paul Peercy, to develop course content. “This course will be successful because it is unique,” he said. “It is offered by the College of Engineering and taught by an engineering professor, which means the business messages can be tailored to the engineering students’ technical background. Offering the class on the engineering campus also makes it physically easier for students to attend.” |
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| When first offered in the fall of 2002, more than 100 students registered within the first two days of its announcement. “Peter Tong’s gift has extended well beyond the financial support for Business for Engineers,” said van der Weide. “His enthusiasm and guidance helped to identify topics for the course and his contacts proved invaluable for lining up first-rate speakers from industry. Peter himself was an excellent speaker and his enthusiastic support was transforming.” Course content includes review of accounting and case studies of successful businesses with guest speakers from business and industry. To ensure that faculty and students have the proper environment to explore the entrepreneurial process, the Tong family provided funding for the Tong Student Leadership Auditorium in the newly completed Engineering Centers Building.
“We want to encourage an integrated and cohesive program for students—with application to the real world,” said Peter. The Tong Family Foundation also funds the Tong Prototype Prize and Loan Program, which gives seed money and awards prizes for the best prototypes created for the College of Engineering’s undergraduate invention competition, the Schoofs Prize for Creativity.
Peter received the Distinguished Service Award from the College of Engineering in 1994 and the Wisconsin Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2000. He serves on the UW Foundation board of directors and the College of Engineering’s Industrial Advisory Board. |
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