Over 100 professors apply for Anna University VC post

CHENNAI: The Anna University Vice-Chancellor search panel headed by Justice V.S.Sirpurkar has received over 100 applications from professors for the top post in the technical university, according to sources. The last date for submitting applications for V-C post was February 1.

The search panel is likely to scrutinise the applications in the coming weeks. The committee will look into whether the applicants have required minimum qualification prescribed in the notification.

“The selection process will be transparent like in the cases of Bharathidasan and Periyar universities. Other details like how the candidates will be shortlisted will be decided at the next meeting of the search panel”, sources close to the panel said. Anna University V-C search panel has retired IAS officer N.Sundaradevan as state government’s nominee and IIT Madras Professor R.Gnanamoorthy as the syndicate nominee in the panel.

As in the cases of Bharathidasan and Periyar Universities, Anna University V-C search panel is also likely to release the list of applicants on the university’s website. The search panels of these two varsities had released the list of applicants on the website. Later, they interviewed ten shortlisted candidates before forwarding three names to the Governor. 

While reacting to the arrest of Bharathiar University Vice-Chancellor A.Ganapathy who was caught red-handed while taking the bribe on Saturday, educationists pointed out that the corruption in V-C appointment was the root cause of the problem. They further alleged that all the universities including Anna University and Madras University have appointed the teaching and non-teaching staff by taking money during the tenures of previous Vice-Chancellors.  So the selection process of Vice-Chancellor of Anna University will be watched with greater interest. 

The Anna University's V-C post is lying vacant for more than 20 months now following the completion of M.Rajaram's tenure on May 26, 2016. The then Governor CH Vidhyasagar Rao has rejected all three names shortlisted by the earlier search panel after personally interviewing all them in May last year. Then he nominated former Chief Justice of India R.M.Lodha as Governor's nominee to the new search panel. 

But, Justice Lodha resigned as the chairman of the search panel following litigation alleging violations of norms against the appointment of search panel member K. Anantha Padmanabhan. 

Following the resignations of both Justice R.M. Lodha and K.Anantha Padmanabhan, the search committee was dissolved and new search committee headed by Justice V.S.Sirpurkar was formed.