Though the five different Universities in Karnataka's Vice-Chancellors (VC) term is coming to an end between June 14 to 20, there is no sign of new VCs assuming charge at-least for few months as the higher education department has commenced the selection process.
According to official sources, the terms of Gulbarga University VC Prof S R Niranjan, Karnataka University Dharwad VC Prof Pramod B Gai, KUVEMPU University Shivamogga VC Prof Jogan Shankar, Kitturu Rani Chennamma University Belagavi VC Prof S B Hosamani, Vijayanagara Sri Krishnadevaraya University Bellary VC Prof M S Subhas will come to an end in June this year with completing service for four years.
As there is no provision to give an extension for VCs under Karnataka University’s Act, the Higher Education Department has commenced the selection process. The Department has written letters to the above five Universities Registers to ask their Universities Syndicate Committees to nominate one member for the Search Committee to be constituted by the government to shortlist three names for the VC post.
Gulbarga University Registrar Prof C Somashekhar has confirmed the letter receipt from the Higher Education Department instructing to nominate one member for the Search Committee. He said the government will appoint separate Search Committees for all the five Universities. Each of the Search committees will comprise of one nominee from the concerned University as per the suggestion from the Syndicate Committees, one nominee from the Government, one nominee from University Grants Commission and one nominee from the Governor who is also the Universities chancellor. Karnataka government may nominate its member as the Search Committees chairman or may nominate a chairman separately, sources said.
Though the constituting Search Committee process started in the month of January itself, it could not materialise as the Universities were busy in holding UG and PG examinations and the LS polls.
Recently the Search Committees for Rani Chennamma University Belagavi and Sri Krishnadevaraya University Bellary have been constituted and applications from the eligible candidates for the VCs posts have been invited. These search committees have to hold meetings and shortlist three names and send them to the Government and in turn, the Government has to send them to the Governor. The Governor has to choose one among the shortlisted names or can reject the list. As this is the case it will be difficult to get new VCs within the retirement of existing ones, sources said.
As regard to Gulbarga University, Karnataka University Dharwad and KUVEMPU University Shivamogga, the search committees are not yet constituted. The Gulbarga University Syndicate Committee is meeting on June 7 to nominate its representative for the Search Committee.
As this is the case, there will be no chance to appointment new VCs to any of the five Universities as per procedure the outgoing VCs have to hand-over the charge to the concerned VCs senior most Dean, they said.
