Wednesday, Jun 18, 2003
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2003 |
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Tamil Nadu
By K. Ramachandran
The Syndicate will suggest the names of persons who comprise a "governing committee" to perform the role of Vice-Chancellor and name the Syndicate nominee on the search committee to identify the next Vice-Chancellor. As per convention, the Senate and the Chancellor will also nominate one person each for the search committee which, in turn, will suggest three names. The Governor-Chancellor would select one of them Vice-Chancellor. Meanwhile, the university was abuzz with speculation of the possible reasons for Dr. Ignacimuthu's decision to quit office. Some felt it was "hasty", as the outcome of a Visitation inquiry instituted against him was not known. Another section of the staff said "serious and professional academicians in the university fell victim to in-fighting among teachers". Scientists such as P.T. Manoharan and Dr. Ignacimuthu were pilloried by one group of teachers. On the other hand, those Vice-Chancellors or university officers who toed the line of the Government and the Chancellor's office "completed their tenure smoothly without much problem". It was no secret in the university that Dr. Ignacimuthu did not get along with the Chancellor's Secretariat. But Dr. Ignacimuthu, who has moved to the Jesuit Residence in the Loyola College, Chennai, maintained that he quit only for "personal reasons". He would not be drawn into any discussion on the agitation felt among Jesuits over the Chief Minister's remarks in response to Pope John Paul's statement on the anti-forcible conversion law in Tamil Nadu. However, sources in the Catholic community here said it would be untenable for a dedicated Jesuit, who had taken "certain vows to obey the Pope's orders", to continue in office. Dr. Ignacimuthu showed no sign of agitation as he talked to a few reporters, and said he was happy that in his one-year in office, he could start the Senate House renovation work. University Grants Commission funds under the `University with Potential for Excellence' were distributed evenly to benefit many units and departments; more transparency was infused in the examination system; a scientific, credit-based semester system was introduced in affiliated colleges, scholarships were instituted to help poor students and the standoff with the Anna University over sharing the Guindy campus was sought to be resolved. All staff members, students and the public could meet him easily. Dr. Ignacimuthu said he looked forward to continuing his CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) and Switzerland Government-funded research on developing eco-friendly biopesticides using plants and micro-organisms. Another research activity he is pursuing now pertains to developing transgenic plants for insect resistance, for which trials were on in Thiruvananthapuram. Yet another work is mapping and collection of all types of insect fauna of Tamil Nadu to form a "biodiversity pool". He also looked forward to completing a textbook in `Genetics' for undergraduates.
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