Even as the University of Mysore finds itself in turmoil, with Registrar R. Rajanna and Acting Vice-Chancellor Dayanand Mane at loggerheads, the Search Committee constituted to select a suitable person for the post of the University’s Vice-Chancellor is yet to meet.
More than three months since K.S. Rangappa demitted office as Vice-Chancellor of the university on January 10, 2017, the senior-most deans are holding forth as Acting Vice-Chancellors.
With an unseemly row breaking out between Prof. Rajanna and Prof. Mane, both of whom are in the race for the post of Vice-Chancellor, the academic fraternity in the university is only hoping for the committee to meet soon.
There are 150 aspirants for the post of the Vice-Chancellor.
University Syndicate member M.S. Kumar said that there was a need for early appointment.
The former Vice-Chancellor of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) H.K. Khincha, who heads the committee, told The Hindu that the committee will meet soon, but refused to set a deadline.
“A date for the meeting will be fixed after finalising a convenient date for all the members,” Prof. Khincha said.
The other members of the committee include Maheshwaraiah, Vice-Chancellor of Central University, Kalburagi, who is the Governor’s nominee, Hari Gautham, former UGC chairman, who is the UoM Syndicate’s nominee, and Chauhan, who is the UGC nominee.
Prof. Khincha attributed the delay in holding the meeting to a change in a member of the committee.
The Governor’s nominee was changed from Muniyamma, former Vice-Chancellor of Gulbarga University, to Dr. Maheshwaraiah.
Prof. Mane said that the university, which was ranked 36th in the recent national survey of Universities conducted by the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry, could have fared better had the vacant posts of teaching faculty been filled up.
