IIM-Mumbai director appointed as in-charge TISS vice chancellor

Professor Manoj Tiwari will hold the additional charge of TISS until a new full-time VC is appointed. His appointment marks a significant change in the selection process due to amendments in the regulations of the University Grants Commission (UGC)

Mumbai: The director of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Mumbai, professor Manoj Tiwari, was appointed in-charge director and vice-chancellor (VC) of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) on Tuesday.

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Tiwari was appointed a day after professor Shalini Bharat’s stepped down as the director after her five-year tenure came to an end, a post that later got converted to vice-chancellor of TISS.

Tiwari will hold the additional charge of TISS until a new full-time VC is appointed. His appointment marks a significant change in the selection process due to amendments in the regulations of the University Grants Commission (UGC). TISS, along with other deemed-to-be universities that receive over 50% funding from the central government, now falls under the purview of central government appointments.

Under the updated UGC regulations, the decision-making authority for director appointments at TISS has shifted. Previously, the governing body, chaired by Tata Trust representatives, played a major role in the selection process. Now, a VC will be appointed by an executive council led by a government-appointed vice-chancellor (current or retired of any central university) who will be the chairperson.

Bharat assumed the role of director in September 2018, following the retirement of professor S Parsuraman in February of the same year. Initially serving as the acting director, she was appointed full-time director after seven months. Bharat is known for her work on equity and access issues, with a special focus on reproductive and women’s health, and social determinants of HIV and TB, including stigma, discrimination, and human rights issues, among other critical areas.