LONDON: The University of Oxford today announced the final candidates for their Chancellor election. Three Indian-origin individuals are among the 38 finalists, but former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was not included. 

Diverse Field Of Contenders

The finalists come from various backgrounds including academics, politicians, and business leaders. Ankur Shiv Bhandari (first Indian-origin Mayor of Bracknell Forest), Nirpal Singh Paul Bhangal (Professor of International Entrepreneurship), and Pratik Tarvadi (medical professional) will be competing for the position.

Former Conservative Party leader Lord William Hague and former Labour politician Lord Peter Mandelson are among the senior politicians selected, however, Khan is deemed to have been disqualified following the selection process.

38 Candidates Meet Tough Criteria

“Applications were considered by the Chancellor’s Election Committee solely on the four exclusion criteria set out in the university’s regulations. All applicants have been notified whether their submissions have been successful,” a university statement reads.

To qualify for the unpaid position, candidates were required to meet stringent criteria. They had to demonstrate exceptional accomplishments in their field, as well as the ability to inspire respect from a wider audience. 

Additionally, candidates were expected to have a profound understanding of the university’s research and academic goals, its diverse global community, and its aspiration to maintain its status as a world-class institution. Furthermore, they needed to possess the capacity and desire to elevate the university’s reputation both domestically and internationally.

Although the university did not provide specific reasons for individual rejections, some experts suggested that Khan’s criminal convictions in his home country – Pakistan, might have disqualified the former Oxford graduate. 

The University’s Convocation, composed of faculty and alumni, will now conduct an online election to choose Lord Patten’s successor. Lord Patten, a former governor of Hong Kong, will step down from his 21-year tenure as Chancellor at the end of Trinity Term 2024.

In the first round of voting, which begins on October 28, voters can rank as many candidates as they wish. The top five candidates, to be announced on November 4, will advance to the second round of voting, scheduled for November 18. The University of Oxford’s new Chancellor will be revealed on November 25.

In his ‘Statement of Interest,’ Mr Bhandari expressed his desire to become Chancellor of Oxford University. He described the university as ‘a temple of learning, research, and a beacon of history’ and stated that serving as Chancellor would be ‘the honor of my life.’ Mr Bhandari believes he is well-suited for the role and can contribute to the university’s ongoing mission.

Mr Bhangal highlights his global connections, deep understanding of Oxford and Oxford University, and experience as a course developer and visiting professor. He believes his strong business acumen, multicultural competence, and government contacts in major economies worldwide make him a valuable asset to Oxford University in the 21st century.

Tarvadi sees the Chancellor position as an opportunity to promote inclusivity, innovation, and a global impact. He asserts that his international experience and network would be crucial in establishing new partnerships and strengthening existing ones, thereby ensuring Oxford’s continued leadership in global academic and research endeavors.

Oxford Chancellor – A Decade Of Leadership

The incoming Chancellor will serve a fixed term of no more than 10 years, in line with recent amendments to the university’s statutes.

The Chancellor serves as the ceremonial head of Oxford University, presiding over significant ceremonies and chairing the Committee to Elect the Vice-Chancellor. Beyond these formal responsibilities, the Chancellor engages in advocacy, advisory, and fundraising activities, representing the university at various national and international events.

The position of Chancellor has previously been held by former Conservative prime minister Harold Macmillan, former Labour home secretary and president of the European Commission Roy Jenkins, and most recently by Lord Patten.

WASHINGTON: Two Indian Americans, Padmini Pillai from Boston and Nalini Tata from New York, were appointed to the 2024-2025 class of White House Fellows on Thursday.

In all, 15 exceptionally-talented individuals from across the United States have been named to this prestigious programme. Fellows spend a year working with senior White House staff, cabinet secretaries and other top-ranking administration officials, and leave the administration equipped to serve as better leaders in their communities.

While Ms Tata is placed at the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs, Padmini Pillai is placed at the Social Security Administration, the White House said in a media release.

Newton, Massachusetts, Ms Pillai is an immunoengineer bridging the gap between discoveries in immunology and advances in biomaterial design to treat human disease.

She has led a team at the MIT developing a tumour-selective nanotherapy to eliminate hard-to-treat cancers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms Pillai was featured in several media outlets, including “CNBC”, “The Atlantic” and “The New York Times”, to discuss vaccination, immunity and the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on vulnerable communities.

Ms Pillai received her PhD in immunobiology from the Yale University and a BA in biochemistry from the Regis College.

Ms Tata is a neurosurgery resident at the New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Centre/Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, where she helps treat the spectrum of emergency and elective neurosurgical conditions between a level-1 trauma centre and a world-renowned cancer institute.

Her published work spans clinical and non-scientific journals, with a focus on advancing equity in access to care. Her career in neurosurgery and long-standing interest in public policy are closely bound by a deep-rooted dedication to public service. She received her BSc in neurobiology from the Brown University, MPhil from the University of Cambridge, MD from the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine and MPP in Democracy, Politics, and Institutions from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

According to the White House, this year’s Fellows advanced through a highly-competitive selection process, and they are a remarkably gifted, passionate and accomplished group. These Fellows bring experience from across the country and from a broad cross-section of professions, including from the private sector, state government, academia, non-profits, medicine and the armed forces, it said.

LONDON:  The ethnic group with the highest concentration of professional workers in the UK is Indian and considering ethnic minorities as a monolithic group for public policy purposes is now increasingly meaningless in the country, a new think-tank analysis concludes on Monday.

‘A Portrait of Modern Britain: Ethnicity and Religion’ published by the Policy Exchange reflects an in-depth examination of the demographic, educational, health and economic situation of different ethnic groups in the country. The report calls for a new government-led national integration strategy, with children in Britain taught to be proud of their national heritage in an inclusive manner that reflects the country’s history and traditions.

“The ethnic group with the highest concentration of professional workers was Indian – with British Indians also having the highest rate of home ownership – with 71 per cent living in a property which is either owned outright or owned with a mortgage/loan or shared ownership,” the report notes.

“The diversity contained with the term ‘ethnic minority’ is now so broad – both within each minority and between minorities – that considering ethnic minorities as a monolithic group for public policy purposes is now increasingly meaningless,” it states.

“Categories such as ‘South Asian’ do not only serve to mask over noteworthy economic and social disparities between Britain’s Indians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis – but also mean that very real forms of diversity within these sizeable groupings at times go unrecognised,” it cautions.

The report analyses the 2021 UK Census data and other statistical resources, combining this with polling conducted by Redfield and Wilton. Besides a nationally representative sample of 2,000 people of all ethnicities, “booster” samples were used of 1,400 ethnic minority respondents – 200 each from the Black African, Black Caribbean, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese and Mixed-Race ethnic groups.

“These days, integration won’t happen naturally… Recent years have seen conflicts generated far away from our shores break out on our streets. The politics of the Indian sub-continent and the Middle East for example are no longer ‘quarrels in a faraway country between people of whom we know nothing’,” Sir Trevor Phillips, senior fellow at Policy Exchange, says in his foreword.

“Policy Exchange’s portrait of our nation teaches us one thing above all: our future rests on managing our diversity, and complacency is the surest pathway to the growth of extremism and conflict,” he concludes.

Among the key findings of the analysis was that almost three in four people – 72 per cent of those polled – believe that children should be taught to be proud of British history, with a majority also believing that Britain has historically been a force for good in the world.

“Government agencies should also commit to disaggregating larger groups which are both ethnically and religiously diverse, as well as being far from homogeneous in terms of migratory background – especially the Indian and Black African ethnic categories,” it recommends.

The think-tank points out that the first ‘Portrait of Modern Britain’ was carried out for Policy Exchange in 2014 by two young researchers including one named Rishi Sunak, who would go on to become the UK’s first Prime Minister of Indian heritage and is currently the interim Opposition Leader in Parliament.

The new project aims to identify how governments can successfully focus on what unites the different ethnicities of the country to build on the latent strengths of an integrated British identity and culture.