The Senate and the Academic Council of Madurai Kamaraj University on Friday gave their approval for creation of two new Schools, renaming of one School, bifurcation of one department and shuffling of a few departments between different Schools.
The approval was accorded at separate special meetings of the two apex bodies of the varsity, one held in the forenoon and the other in the afternoon. With the creation of two new Schools — School of Information Technology and School of Youth Empowerment — the total number of Schools in the university had been increased from 18 to 20.
According to Vice-Chancellor Kalyani Mathivanan, the changes were intended towards enhancing the university’s academic performance, administrative convenience and generating financial assistance from various funding agencies for different projects and research activities.
Now, Department of Future Studies has been shifted from School of Energy, Environment and Natural Resources to School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. Similarly, Department of Computer Science has been brought under the newly created School of Information Technology (SIT) from School of Physics.
Department of Library and Information Science, hitherto functioning under School of Information and Communication Sciences (SICS), is now moved to SIT which would function with a total of three departments, including a newly created Department of Computer Applications.
Further, Department of Linguistics has been taken away from School of Tamil Studies and brought under the control of SICS, now renamed as School of Linguistics and Communication.
The Department of Microprocessor and Computers, under School of Physics, has been renamed as Department of Computational Physics.
The School of Performing Arts would henceforth consist of Department of Fine Arts and Aesthetics and Department of Folklore and Culture Studies (earlier known only as Department of Folklore). School of Youth Empowerment would comprise Department of Youth Welfare Studies and Department of Art History.
Academic Council member S.Vivekanandan questioned the necessity for calling a special meeting to discuss the restructuring of departments and Schools when the issues had already been discussed in the previous meetings. To this, the Vice-Chancellor said it was necessitated with some letters being sent to the higher authorities.
“We don’t want anybody to say that we are not open to discussions... It puzzles me why such letters are sent if no one has any objection ‘to the creation of new Schools and reshuffling of departments. Our aim is only to enhance the image of the university, which has taken a beating in the last few years,” she said.
