In 1971, a 21-year-old Taiwanese electrical engineer came to the University of Tennessee to further his education. He earned master's and doctorate degrees and decided to stay in the United States. He also got married and started a family—and became a billionaire. Now Min H. Kao, the CEO and chairman of Garmin Ltd., a leading maker of global-positioning systems, ranks 369th on the 2007 Forbes list of the world's richest people. He recently donated $17.5 million to his alma mater in gratitude for the opportunities it provided him.
