Qualification of a Vice Chancellor

I am compelled to respond to a letter to Editor, NST 9th December, written by one Dr. M. A. Nair from Bandar Muadzam Shah, Rompin, Pahang, regarding the academic credentials for a Vice Chancellor. Dr. Nair was commenting on a so-called claim by a VC that the public perecieved a VC who is not a professor and holder of a PhD is not qualified to lead a university. Dr. Nair and the public should know that the VCs of USM and UKM don't have a PhD but they are excellent academic leaders, that is why both universities are amongst the four Research universities. Granted there is no set of criteria for selecting and appointing a Vice Chancellor or deputy Vice Chancellor of universities in Malaysia. In the early days the Vice Chancellors were appointed directly by the Minister of Education or even the Prime Minister, without considering their academic credentials. The criterion, if there is any, was acceptability by the Minister and he/she must be a person of good character. To-day, the Minister of Higher Education appoints a Search Committee to assess the candidates for the post. However, the Minister has the prerogative to accept or reject the candidate chosen by the said committee. The process used is hoped to be transparent and democratic, but it is far from it because ultimately the candidate must be politically acceptable and correct. Those who are preceived to be of different colour will never be considered.
To my mind the following academic criteria should be considered:-
a) Good teaching experience. The candidate must have taught effectively both at the pre- and post-graduate levels. In other words he/she is a good lecturer.
b) Good supervising experience. The candidate must have supervised successfully MS and PhD candidates.
c) Good research experience. The candidate must have conducted research projects successfully and be a holder of research grants. Successful research projects must be substantiated by research papers published.
d) Publications in journals. The candidate must have published continuously his/her research results in reputed journals.
e) Public services. The candidate must have served his/her scientific/academic communities or public at large effectively. In other words he/she must be known to his/her peers.
f) Good networking. The candidate must have collaborators. In addition, he/she must have been appointed as external examiners of MS/PhD candidates, papers refree and must have been invited to speak at conferences as Plenary or keynote Speaker.
g) Good fund raiser. The candidate must be actively involved in procuring public and private funds for university
Am I asking too much for a candidate of a Vice Chancellor? May be, but I am sure there are many who could fulfil those criteria without being politically acceptable to the power that appoints him/her. Or at least these are what I would like to see implemented to ensure good governance and accountability as a CEO of a university.
Concerning the influx of foreign students to Malaysian universities, which has become one of the criteria a university is judged, I have my own reservations. No doubts there are excellent MS and PhD candidates who had come to Malaysia and gone back to their cpuntries with Malaysian degrees, but there are many who are on the border line. These border line cases normally are weak in their BS backgrounds and could not communicate in English adequately. There might be universities which offered these border line students for financial and mere number gains. What is lacking in Malaysia to-day are excellent and productive foreign faculties. NUS for one is successful in attracting foreign faculties because NUS offer good salaries and research endowment grants. I have served the university since 1974, and I am pessimistic about the governance changes that could happen to government universities in my life time.