Mumbai varsity gets search committee, to start looking out for new V-C soon

As per Maharashtra Public Universities Act 2016, a search committee to appoint a new vice-chancellor for a university consists of three members

The academic and management councils of the University of Mumbai (MU) have nominated Dr Shaym Lal Soni, director of National Institute of Technology, Uttarakhand, to the search committee, which will appoint the vice- chancellor (V-C). The decision was taken unanimously by members of both the councils during a meet organised at MU’s Fort campus on Monday.

Dr Shaym Lal Soni’s nomination completes the search committee that will now work towards appointing a new V-C. (HT fuile)

Soni’s nomination completes the search committee that will now work towards appointing a new V-C for the university.

In October, a day after former MU vice-chancellor Sanjay Deshmukh was sacked, the governor constituted a search committee to appoint a new V-C. On October 25, governor and chancellor of all state universities, Ch Vidyasagar Rao, named former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K Kasturirangan to head the search committee.

In the third week of November, CIDCO vice-chairperson and managing director Bhushan Gagrani was appointed as the state nominee in the search committee.

To name the third nominee, acting V-C Devanand Shinde, recently nominated new members for the academic and management councils. For the past two years, the university has been functioning through ad hoc members after the former academic bodies were dissolved in August 2015.

“The elected members for both the academic and management councils will be brought on board soon but for the time being, the nominated members can nominate the third name for the search committee,” said a senior official from the university.

As per Maharashtra Public Universities Act 2016, a search committee to appoint a new vice-chancellor for a university consists of three members — a member nominated by the chancellor, the principal secretary of higher and technical education department or any officer not below the rank of principal secretary to the government and the director or head of an institute or organisation of national repute nominated by the university management and academic councils.