“47. In an interesting article, titled “Why Socrates should be in the Boardroom in Research Universities’, published in 2010 by Amanda H. Goodall, Leverhulme Fellow, Warwick Business School, the author points out two contrasting events that happened in 2003 and 2004. It is common knowledge that Cambridge University came into existence in 1209 and almost about 800 years later, a distinguished anthropologist, by name Alison Richard, was appointed as the 344th President or Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge. She was an acclaimed academician. In contrast to what happened at Cambridge in 2003, Oxford University appointed in 2004, a person by name John Hood, who was not an academic but was only a businessman. He became the first head of Oxford University, ever since the year 1230, to be elected to the ViceChancellorship from outside the University’s current academic body. The paper authored by Amanda Goodall considered the question as to why Cambridge and Oxford chose such different individuals to lead their ancient and reputed institutions. The central theme of the paper was as to whether there was a relationship between University performance and leadership by an accomplished researcher. Eventually, after analysing the statistics from about 100 universities throughout the world, the author came to the conclusion, supported by evidence that research universities should be led by top scholars. The conclusions reached by the author could be summarised as follows:
