Recent post from Mohamed A. El-Erian: I would like to share with you the news that I will be a candidate for the election of the new Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.

Good morning. I hope you are well. 

Apologies for the long post! 

 

I would like to share with you the news that I will be a candidate for the election of the new Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. 

 

• I do so having been encouraged by many colleagues and after receiving more than four times the number of nominations (“supporter forms”) required for registering as a candidate from within Cambridge and worldwide. 
• I want to express my deep appreciation to my nominators for their support and confidence. 

As you may know, the University has set 2 May as the deadline for expressing interest in standing in this election. 

My submission of the supporter forms will accompany a statement explaining why I am running for this important position. 

 

Ahead of that, here is a four-point summary:

1. First, I am deeply committed to helping Cambridge further enhance its academic excellence, strengthen its financial resilience, and protect academic freedom and free speech. 
2. Second, I am motivated by a profound passion for the collegiate university that was nurtured during my transformative undergraduate days and enhanced by decades of engagement as an alumnus, volunteer, donor, chair of the Cambridge Union, co-chair of the Capital Campaign, chair of the Colleges’ Fund Committee, and, of course, President of Queens’ College. 
3. Third, I would bring to the post decades of experience and expertise at the intersection of academia, business, civil society, philanthropy, and the public sector. 
4.  Fourth, and as the experience at Queens’ demonstrates, I am just as comfortable chairing a Governing Body, granting degrees in Latin, and meeting with alumni and donors as I am spending time with Fellows, staff, and students and, of course, cheering on the sports teams from the sidelines. 
5. (I have also been seen stepping in to referee a game and, yes, even play in goal in a friendly match.  
6. Cambridge requires a Chancellor with the vision and experience to rise to the challenge of this pivotal moment in history.  

My desire to be Chancellor is not about prestige or the ceremonial aspects of the post. It is about being an engaged and inclusive Chancellor who works closely with the Vice Chancellor and colleagues to help the University navigate a period of extraordinary uncertainty, preserve proud traditions, and lead and benefit from transformational innovations. 

 

Please remember that 2 May is also the deadline to register for the July election. 

 

Your vote matters. 

 

(Additional information on registration and other aspects of the election may be found here: 

https://cam.ac.uk/about-the-university/how-the-university-and-colleges-work/people/chancellor/election-of-the-next-chancellor) 

 

Thank you for your attention and your support.