M. Krishnan, who took charge as the 17th Vice-Chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University on Wednesday, said he would strive to bring the university back to its old glory.
Addressing the media after assuming charge, he said he would not hesitate to take action against any existing irregularities in the university. “Governor Banwarilal Purohit has asked me to first observe the functioning of the university for a month to understand why there were so many complaints and issues. The idea is not to be punitive, but issues will certainly be weeded out,” he said.
Pointing out that he was from Nagamalai Pudukkottai (the area where the university is located) and got his Ph. D. from the MKU itself, he said the university that was a frontrunner once had become issue-ridden over the years.
“In the National Assessment and Accreditation Council assessment, the university has a score of only 3.08 now. An institution needs a score of at least 3.25 to offer courses through distance education. Receiving funds from the Ministry of Human Resource Development will become difficult if the score is less than 3.5,” he said.
Mr. Krishnan said his strategy to put the university on a growth path would focus on six areas, including attracting more students through better infrastructure; job opportunities and new courses; improving quality of teaching in collaboration with international faculty and improving research output by ensuring better laboratory and library infrastructure.
He said the other focus areas would be ensuring governance with transparency and integrity, environmental friendly initiatives and providing consultancy based on the university’s research expertise.
Stating that there was a need for receiving more funds from government agencies for all development initiatives, he said special attention would be given on that front. “Fortunately, I have the experience of serving in committees of NAAC, University Grants Commission and the Department of Science and Technology, which, I hope, will be of help,” he added.
He appealed for cooperation from the university staff and the public to achieve the objectives. “I will not disappoint the Governor and others who have trust in me in delivering the best for the university,” he said.
