Right role for university heads

The recent appointments of new university heads in China provide a good opportunity to resolve the current conflict between administrative and academic powers, says an article in Guangzhou Daily. The following is an excerpt:

Last week, a survey that polled 5,358 respondents found that 70.5 percent believed that the head of a university should be an educator. As for who is suitable to be president of a university, Chen Pingyuan, a professor with Peking University, believes it need not be top scholars.

"I oppose the practice of appointing top scholars to be leaders. Some of them continue to conduct academic research after being appointed, which turns everything upside down," Chen said.