The presidency of a top-notch Chinese university is deemed as an official post, which is either vice minister-level or bureau-level. This is why the nomination is generally made by the two authorities.

A professor with the university, who declined to be named, told Xinhua on Tuesday, that the protest is nothing personal against Lin, but the current appointment system.

"I support different voices in the selection of the president," the professor said.

Alumni of Zhejiang University believe they should have a say in "the fate of the school, and the process of selecting a president."

The Ministry of Education started reforming the long-existing university president appointment system in 2011. Since then, five institutions including the Northeast Normal University, the Southwest University of Finance and Economics and the Beijing University of Science and Technology have used open recruitment in selecting presidents.

However, none of China's top-notch universities such as Peking University and Tsinghua have seen liberalization of the policy.

Professor Xie Jian with the City College of Wenzhou University said Zhejiang University should be one of China's first-class universities to open the recruitment for its president, which is a common practice for internationally elite schools.

The general alumni association of Zhejiang University on Monday issued a notice changing its tone from Saturday. It expressed gratitude to concerns raised by alumni over affairs of the Alma Mater, while calling for its membership branches to unite and support the university's future president, once the person is appointed.