The quest for academic excellence is ill served by confrontation. The best in the world of scholarship is achieved through cooperation and exchanges. It is thus difficult to comprehend why the first vice-chancellor of Presidency University, Amita Chatterjee, has chosen the path of confrontation against the mentor group for the new university. Presumably, the aims and objectives of the vice-chancellor and the mentor group are the same. Both want to rescue the institution from its present state of mediocrity and restore to it the standards of excellence that marked it out as an educational institution. Presidency College was made into a university for this purpose and therefore, when Ms Chatterjee was appointed, this was part of her remit. The mentor group composed of scholars of international standing — all of them alumni of the college — is also working towards the same goal. Yet the battle lines have been drawn, and needlessly so.

The available evidence suggests that the vice-chancellor, whether she likes it or not, has actually cast the first stone. It is on record that members of the mentor group visited the university, met the vice-chancellor and members of the executive council. From all accounts, the meetings were cordial without a hint of any future confrontation. The vice-chancellor of her own accord sought the opinion of the mentor group on the subject of starting post-graduate classes in some departments. The mentor group felt that given the new university’s present resources and the quality of its existing faculty, it would be unwise to start post-graduate classes. The vice-chancellor, in her wisdom, decided to disregard this advice and, not to put too fine a point on it, defied the mentor group. This was utterly unwarranted and unnecessary. What harm would have accrued if post-graduate classes were not begun immediately? Does the vice-chancellor seriously believe that the present faculty of Presidency University is actually qualified to take classes at the masters level? All reports suggest that most teachers now in Presidency University are not even fit to take honours classes. The vice-chancellor is only deluding herself unless she is pursuing some agenda that is far removed from bringing back academic excellence to Presidency University.

Presidency University has a unique opportunity to begin afresh. The mentor group is working to put in place processes and structures, especially in the selection of faculty and the building up of infrastructure, that will enable the pursuit of excellence. It would appear from all that the vice-chancellor has done and not done that she and her advisors (whoever they are) do not want this and are trying to obstruct the mentor group. This is a pity and a betrayal of the trust reposed in Ms Chatterjee.