Eminence of name-dropping intellectuals (4)
I believe the answer is:
mesa
'eminence' is the definition.
(type of hill)
'name-dropping intellectuals' is the wordplay.
'name' becomes 'n' (common abbreviation e.g. on forms).
'dropping' indicates named letters should be taken away.
'intellectuals' becomes 'mensa' (British high IQ society).
'mensa' with 'n' taken out is 'MESA'.
'of' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for mesa that I've seen before include "Flat-topped hill with steep sides, common in the southwestern US" , "Isolated flat-topped hill" , "Flat hill" , "Flat-topped tableland" , "In the USA, a steep-sided flat-topped hill" .)