Chennai: Professors and students of Madras University are eagerly awaiting developments leading to the selection of a Vice-Chancellor after the new government assumed office on Monday.
Sources said the list of shortlisted candidates is yet to be submitted to the Governor as the same was not finalised because of prolonged absence of one of the V-C selection panel members.
The university is functioning without a head after R.Thandavan’s tenure ended in January. “The university is literally frozen as many administrative and policy decisions are pending. Reforms in exams are overdue and the university with Potential for Excellence project decisions are getting delayed,” a syndicate member said.
He also pointed out that university’s syndicate meeting was not called after March. The convener committee which was selected to run the university in the absence of VC can only take decisions on routine matters.
Director of Collegiate Education K. Sekar, professor Sriman Narayanan and higher education secretary Selvi Apoorva are members of the convener committee. Selvi Apoorva is also the committee convener.
“We are doubtful whether the syndicate will meet even in June as there is an air of uncertainty surrounding the selection of new Vice-Chancellor,” another syndicate member said.
It was alleged that one of the selection committee members R. Surendra
Prasad was not co-opted with other two members in selecting the new VC.
The new V-C search panel has P.N.Veda Narayanan, governor’s nominee as its convenor and R. Balasubramanian from SRM University, syndicate nominee and R. Surendra Prasad, senate nominee, as its members.
The panel has received over 65 applications for the VC’s post. The committee has scrutinised all applications and was about to forward the shortlisted names to the Governor for appointing the VC. But after the model code of conduct came into effect in March, VC selection had been pushed to the background.
