When SMU was first set up in 2000, it was recognised to be different. The difference was “confident students who speak out and participate actively in class, faculty who serve as mentors and role models, and a holistic approach”. More than a decade later, the other two universities, NUS and NTU, seem to have caught up. Financial services consultant Richard Hartung commented that with this, SMU would have to innovate even more and move further ahead of the two universities.