Hunt begins to select VCs for five universities

COIMBATORE: Ending a long impasse, the State Government has finally constituted separate Search Committees to select Vice Chancellors for five State-run universities. The Search Committees will shortlist and recommend a panel of three names to the Governor-Chancellor for appointment as Vice Chancellor of the Manonmanian Sundaranar University (MSU) in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu Open University (TNOU) in Chennai, Mother Teresa Women’s University in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu Teachers Education University (TNTEU) in Chennai, and the Thiruvalluvar University in Vellore. Interestingly, three of these Search Committees - MSU, Thiruvalluvar and TNOU - would be headed by former Vice Chancellors. Besides, four former Vice Chancellors would serve as members in three Search Committees. State Planning Commission Member (Education) E Balagurusamy, who is a former Anna University Vice Chancellor, will head the Search Committee for the Thiruvalluvar University.    Former MSU Vice Chancellor K Chockalingam, incidentally, has been named convener of the Search Committee for MSU. The Mother Teresa Women’s University Search Committee would be headed by J Manjula, Principal, Sri GVG Visalatchi Women’s College in Tirupur. The other members of the panel are S Usha Kalyani and T Nalini Ravindran of Chennai. Professor R Balasubramanian, director, Faculty of Science and Humanities at the SRM University, has been named convener of the TNTEU Search Committee.  The TNOU Search Committee composition is interesting. It comprises only former VC - Anandhavalli Mahadevan, ex-VC, Mother Teresa Women’s University (convener), M Lakshmanan, ex-VC, MKU (Govt nominee) and P Kanniappan, ex-VC, Alagappa University (syndicate nominee).