Let us join, Leicester vice-chancellor tells Russell Group

Membership of the Russel Group seem to be more like a club than anything merit based. If it was merit based it would change far more often than it does (leavers as well as additions).

I'm afraid this plea to be part of the Russell group strikes me as a tad desperate and revealing a profound lack of self confidence at Leicester. There isn't really anything distinctive about the Russell Group beyond being a group of universities whose Vice Chancellors, in times long lost to memory, met at the Russell hotel in London to chew the cud before UUK meetings , possibly part of a general reaction of 'pre-1992' unis to the abolition of the binary divide and expansion of UUK membership ( UUK itself then becoming too unwieldy a group to be effective lobbyists.) In fact it actually started way back in the 'good old days' when UUK was CVCP. ( It really is all ancient history now. ) There may be a superficial group branding point I guess but then the University recently declared number one in the UK ( St Andrews) has never been part of the Russell Group and I dare say has no intention of diluting its own identity by joining the group. Forget it, Leicester, be proud of your own identity and work on your own brand and achievements.