Odisha: Six universities to get new VCs
BHUBANESWAR: Six state-run universities are set to get new vice-chancellors (VC)s soon. The selection committees have sent three names for each university to governor Ganeshi Lal. He is likely to announce the names of the new VCs within a week.
The varsities that will get the new VCs are Khallikote University in Berhampur, Rama Devi Women’s University in Bhubaneswar, GM University in Sambalpur, Utkal University in Bhubaneswar, FM University in Balasore and North Odisha University Baripada. The tenure of Amarendra Narayan Mishra, VC of Khallikote University, ended on July 13.
Rama Devi Women’s University VC Padmaja Mishra’s tenure ended on July 14. Similarly, the date of completion of the tenure was July 25 for GM University VC AK Pati, July 30 for Utkal University VC Soumendra Mohan Patnaik, August 1 for FM University VC Madhumita Das and August 31 for North Odisha University VC Pradeep Kumar Chand.
The governor, who is also chancellor of the universities, had extended the tenure of the VCs of these six universities for a few months till the appointment of new ones. As the VCs were working on an extended tenure, they couldn’t take policy decisions of the universities. Owing to this, different development and research-related works had come to ahalt.
The state government had initiated the process for the appointment of vicechancellors in the six state universities in May after getting the approval of the governor. Even the higher education department had issued advertisements inviting applications for the posts of the VCs. But the process was delayed owing to the pandemic.
Later the state government had amended the Odisha Universities Act, 1989 in October. The amendment had brought about a change in the formation of the three-member VC search committee. As per the amendment, the state government will nominate a member for the three-member search committee for the appointment of a VC instead of a nominee of the syndicate of the university concerned, as was the practice earlier.