Sometimes it is connectedness. See

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzCcVGbO9rw - Interview with Raghuram Rajan, who was the Governor of Reserve bank of India, was chief economist of IMF, and now a professor in US

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1qS4gdutso - Interview with a maverick political consultant, kinda like Frank Luntz of India

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6lolKKm2LU - Interview with Saudia Arabia foreign minister

I am sure I can find more examples, but the point is that during a 21 year career, of which a few years as a prime time host, you build a lot of network, you get a lot of local awards, that when a US school comes fawning, it may be a small surprise, but you take it in the stride.