A former vice-chancellor of a local university claimed that the university she led already had many foreign students and that meant that the people’s perception that a vice-chancellor who was not a professor and a PhD holder was not qualified enough to lead a university was wrong.

This may not necessarily be a realistic appraisal of an academic hub by the ex-vice chancellor.

On her first point. The influx of foreign students to a university could be for many reasons and may not necessarily be translated into quality and that the university has a better reputation.

Many students with good financial standing will find it easy to get into universities even with minimum qualifications as some universities have to look for financial resources to exist – without which they would have to close down.

If the number of foreign students is again the criteria, then many unknown universities in the US and Britain would also qualify to be premier universities, but this is not the case. In most instances, those with financial means do get easy entrance into many universities in the world where the principal of supply and demand works.

Most universities in the world these days are commercialised and they have to look for their own funding, some at the expense of quality education. But, this may not be true for some of the best universities in the world where, perhaps, only less than 10 percent of those who apply to enter are accepted.

What helps make a university a first-choice one is when the entrance process is very competitive and when many bright students apply to study. The National University of Singapore (NUS), for instance, accept many foreign students but the standard set to enter the university is very high.

Only the finest of students are accepted into the university. Surprisingly, many bright students from Malaysia make up a big chunk of the foreign students at NUS.

In the process of accepting foreign students, a university – if it wants to establish itself as a premier university - should come to a phase where it is only ready to accept the best students from all round the world.

A stringent recruitment process based on the academic prowess of the student simply reflects the quality level set by the university as it is has geared up to establish itself as a university of choice. It is when entrance to a certain university becomes very competitive that it is, among others, typically perceived as world-class.

On her second point. It is only optional that the president of a university has a PhD or is a professor appointed based on his or her reputable credentials. It is a mere protocol, as some already renowned universities in the West are led by those without these academic titles and they are still able to deliver.

Some have performed better than those known to have higher academic reputations or paper qualifications.

To be able to lead and deliver are the more important criteria for a vice-chancellor in turning a university into a premier one. There have been many cases in the past where good academics with a string of qualifications who have not made it as administrators of an excellent education hub.

It takes more than academic qualifications to lead a university into becoming world-class.

Just being an academic does not necessarily make a person an effective leader to push the university to become top-notch.

Broad knowledge, charisma, astuteness and the personality factor are all equally important.