Photo: Michael Marsland/Yale University
Professor Andrew Hamilton, currently Provost of Yale
University, has been nominated to succeed John Hood as Vice-Chancellor of the
of
Prof Hamilton has been Provost of Yale since 2004, and is
also a distinguished scientist, being Benjamin Silliman Professor of Chemistry
and Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale.
His nomination will need to be approved by Congregation, the
body of dons and other staff who form the ultimate legislative body of the
University. If approved, he will succeed Dr Hood in October 2009.
Speaking of his nomination, Prof Hamilton said: “
is one of the world’s greatest universities and the invitation to serve as its
Vice-Chancellor is an inspiring and humbling one.
“In due course and with the support and help of colleagues
in every part of the collegiate University, I shall seek to play my part in
ensuring that
reputation as a pre-eminent centre of teaching, learning and research is safeguarded
and enhanced for generations to come.”
Leaders head-hunted
Prof Hamilton’s nomination reflects a growing trend for
university leaders to be head-hunted from foreign universities or international
business.
Although born in
Prof Hamilton has spent most of his academic career in the
He will be the first Vice-Chancellor never to have studied or
been an academic at
obtained his first degree in chemistry from
before reading for a master’s at
He received his PhD from
in 1980.
Prof Hamilton is not the first Yale provost to be nominated
to a prestigious post at a top
university. The current Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge, Alison Richard, was a
previous provost at Yale.
Predecessor’s legacy
Opponents of current Vice-Chancellor Dr John Hood may be
relieved by the nomination of an academic, rather than a business figure.
Dr Hood’s time as Vice-Chancellor has been marred by
division over his radical proposals to overhaul
900-year-old governance structure. Factions of dons formed, and after nearly
two years of disputes, Hood’s reforms were defeated in a postal vote of
Congregation.
Those critical of Hood saw him as an ‘outsider’ whose
reforms would create a corporate style of governance that would see influence
transferred from academics to external University Council members. Supporters
argued that the University would find it hard to raise money without
overhauling antiquated governance models.
One staunch opponent of Hood told the FT: “It’s positive
that we’ve got an academic,” adding that “there’s a certain way to argue points
academically and there’s a different way of arguing in business.”
‘Exceptional choice’
Lord Patten, Chancellor of the University, who chaired the
nomination committee, said that “Andrew Hamilton’s remarkable combination of
proven academic leadership and outstanding scholarly achievement makes him an
exceptional choice to help guide us into the second decade of the twenty-first
century.”
Current Vice-Chancellor, John Hood, said: "I am
delighted that Professor Hamilton has been nominated as the next
Vice-Chancellor of Oxford, from autumn 2009. I look forward very much to
assisting him in any way I can to prepare for his new role. For my own part, I
shall remain fully committed over the next sixteen months to the University it
is my privilege to serve."
