Associate Dean (External Relations) of the SMU School of Social Sciences and Associate Professor of Political Science John Donaldson was featured in an article in The Straits Times as one of the handful of Caucasians in Singapore proficient in Chinese. He can speak fluent Mandarin and has a degree in Chinese language and literature from Washington University. Associate Prof Donaldson shared that his interest in Chinese culture had grown after a study programme to Beijing and Nanjing in 1990, and expressed fascination with aspects of Chinese society which differ from those in the West.