US professor relates great changes in China since 1978

Thomas Scovel makes donation to university on behalf of former student

Thomas Scovel, one of the first professors from the United States to teach at a Chinese university, returned to his old campus recently to make a donation on behalf of one of his former students.

Scovel was actually born in Jining, Shandong province, in 1939 as the son of a doctor from a US missionary and later returned to the US. He came back to China in 1979 to take up a teaching position at Tianjin Foreign Studies University.

The former professor, who has written a book about the pivotal changes that have taken place in China since reform and opening-up was introduced in 1978, took to the stage at the university's 60th anniversary celebration on Sept 28 to present a cheque for 2.2 million yuan ($300,000) to the university on behalf of his former student Yang Bin.