Bharathidasan University yet to get a Vice-Chancellor

The delay in appointing the new Vice-Chancellor for Bharathidasan University, one of the largest universities in the State in terms of its jurisdiction and the number of affiliated colleges, has caused concern in academic circles

The delay in appointing the new Vice-Chancellor for Bharathidasan University, one of the largest universities in the State in terms of its jurisdiction and the number of affiliated colleges, has caused concern in academic circles.

M. Selvam, who was the Vice Chancellor of the university for four years that included one year of extension, demitted office on February 5. A three-member VC Convenor Committee was subsequently constituted to perform the duties of the Vice-Chancellor of Bharathidasan University. The Committee is empowered to discharge many duties of the Vice-Chancellor until an appointment is made to the post.

Commissioner of Collegiate Education E. Sundaravalli is the Convener of the Committee. Syndicate members R. Sakthi Krishnan and V. Rajesh Kannan are the other two members of it. All important files related to the day-to-day administration of the university are referred to them. Ms. Sundaravalli, who functions from Chennai, has to handle all files of the university in addition to her regular role as the Commissioner of Collegiate Education. Moreover, she is also the Convener of the VC Convenor Committee of Madurai Kamaraj University because of the vacancy of its VC.

According to sources, though Ms. Sundaravalli visits Tiruchi occasionally to oversee the supervision of the university, the officials have to make frequent visits to Chennai to get the files cleared as she has to handle her regular works too.

The jurisdiction of the Bharathidasan University extends from Tiruchi to Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam. It has about 153 affiliated colleges. In addition to them, it has to handle all academic and non-academic activities of 38 departments.

The Vice-Chancellor’s role is significant in forwarding the proposals to various agencies, including University Grants Commission, Department of Science and Technology and so on. The Vice-Chancellor’s approval is essential to form committees to provide new course affiliations, forming panels and examiners on thesis submitted by research scholars and others. Academicians and other stakeholders of the university raise concern that the administration of the university has been severely hit because of the vacancy of the Vice- Chancellor.

“Under normal circumstances, the VC has to clear at least 20 files a day. He or she has to listen to the grievances of teaching and non-teaching staff and the representatives of affiliated colleges. Except for some routine affairs, many key files are getting delayed in the absence of VC. It is not good for the growth of the university,” says a senior faculty member of the Bharathidasan University.