Since May 1, Anna University has been functioning without a Vice-Chancellor after the term of its former VC Dr MK Surappa got over. Three months later, the teachers of the university have asked Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, who is also the university's Chancellor, to preferably appoint a VC of Tamil origin.
"We request you to appoint a person of integrity and intellect, preferably of Tamil origin, as the Vice-Chancellor to our reputed Anna University, which is a flagship institution of the state of Tamil Nadu," read the letter. They've also asked the Governor to do a random check with them, in case the person selected is a current or former employee of AU.
Previously, there were reports stating that 10 candidates have been shortlisted for the position and that five of them are former AU professors. Commenting on this, the teachers said, "We are apprehensive of the way the list of applicants and 10 shortlisted applicants are kept confidential, whereas, in the true spirit of transparency in governance, such name lists of other state universities should be made public." The Vice-Chancellor search committee, headed by incumbent JNU VC M Jagadesh Kumar, will interview shortlisted candidates on August 9.
At the same time, the university's former Vice-Chancellor (VC) E Balagurusamy had made an appeal to Purohit to streamline the working of the university VC search committee. In his letter, he charged that four years back, powerful intermediaries had ensured that the selection of VCs was influenced by extraneous factors such as caste, religion, political connections and money powers. "So, there were instances where mediocre cronies with questionable integrity at the level of assistant professors had been appointed as VCs, thus denigrating the position of VCs as an academic leader," he said in his letter.
