SPPU vice-chancellor selection process delayed

PUNE While the tenure of the current vice-chancellor of Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) will come to an end on May 17, the selection process for the new VC has not even started. After the state government made an amendment to the Maharashtra Public Universities Act, 2016, a few months ago regarding the VCs’ selection process, the state government has not yet given the name of a nominee to the search panel.

Prof Nitin Karmalkar is retiring on May 17 and it was expected that before he retires, the selection process for the new VC would have started at least two months ago. For the selection of the VC’s post, a search panel is to be formed which is headed by a nominee of the governor, another member is nominated by the management council and academic council of the university, and one more member by the state government. Whereas this three-member committee will scrutinise the applications, shortlist the names, take interviews of the shortlisted candidates and give five names to the governor. Finally out of these five names, one name will be selected by the governor for the VC’s post, but as of now, the panel itself has not been formed for the SPPU vice-chancellor selection process.

“The tenure of the current VC of the SPPU is coming to an end and before he retires from office, selection of the new VC was expected to be done. But here at SPPU, the committee has still not been formed, so it’s a difficult situation that will have an overall impact on the operations and functioning of the university. If Prof Karmalkar is given an extension till the next VC is selected, it would be a better option, but things are not working out like that. Still the advertisement inviting applications for the VC’s post has not yet been given, so the state government should actively work upon it,” said Prof Arun Adsul, former vice-chancellor of Savitribai Phule Pune University.

Meanwhile, the SPPU management council has nominated Deepak Karandikar, IIT Kharagpur director, as one of the members of the selection committee. The other two names – which include one from the governor and the other from the state government – have not yet been given. Talking on condition of anonymity, one of the senior management council members from SPPU said, “There is a political fight between the state government and governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, due to which this selection process is getting delayed. If the VC has not been selected, the additional charge of SPPU will be given to some other vice-chancellor from the state university and during the forthcoming admission period, the management of the university will suffer.”