The Joint Action Council – Madurai Kamaraj University (JAC-MKU), a coalition of four teaching and non-teaching associations of the university, has appealed to Governor of Tamil Nadu Ch. Vidyasagar Rao to ensure that the proceedings of the three-member Vice-Chancellor Search Committee are democratic and transparent.
In a letter signed by 312 teaching and non-teaching staff of the university on Wednesday, the JAC-MKU urged the Governor to direct the Convenor of the V-C Search Committee to maintain minutes of the meetings of the committee, which would help in ensuring that the decisions of the committee were taken in a democratic manner. It also requested that the committee proceedings be videographed.
The letter comes in the wake of claims about difference of opinion within the V-C Search Committee in adhering to a points-based ranking system in finalising the three names to be recommended to the Governor for the post of the V-C.
The VC Search Committee, in its announcement inviting applications, had given a specific application format with around 15 sections covering various aspects of the candidate’s qualification, including international exposure, administrative experience and research work.
In a bid to make the selection process objective, the committee had earlier agreed in principle to arrive at a ranking for every applicant by assigning points-based weightage to every parameter mentioned in the application.
Highly placed sources, privy to the proceedings of the committee, however, said disagreements had now emerged with at least one member refusing to adopt this method in an attempt to push the candidates of his choice to the top three list.
It has to be noted that Mu. Ramasamy, who was part of the first V-C Search Committee formed for the MKU, resigned from the committee in February 2016, alleging similar lack of democratic and transparent approach in shortlisting the candidates. His resignation led to reconstitution of the committee in December 2016.
Referring to the inordinate delay and various issues already faced in filling the post of the MKU’s V-C, which is lying vacant for nearly two years, the JAC-MKU said in its letter that only transparent functioning of the search committee could ensure that a qualified academic was appointed as the V-C.
