Is " in today's people's eyes" awkward or not?

Context:
The college sets its goals as "To cultivate great scholars and great thinkers, rather than billionaires". Some argue that the definition of "great scholar" or "great thinker" is actually not clear. For example, a Nobel laureate is a great scholar in today's people's eyes, but is there a sure way to cultivate Nobel Prize winners? No one is certain for this.