The process to pick a new Vice Chancellor for Calicut University is expected to begin soon with the reconstitution of the search panel, retaining all the three members who were part of it earlier.
The varsity does not have a full-time VC now after the retirement of K. Mohammed Basheer in November and V. Anil Kumar, Vice Chancellor, Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University, is holding additional charge.
University sources said that the tenure of the search panel is three months, which can be extended up to one month by the Chancellor. Applications will be sought from aspirants now and a round of interview may follow. However, it remains to be seen if the panel recommends only one name or a list of names to Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, also the Chancellor of the varsity, who has the final word on the issue. Mr. Khan could raise an objection to the candidate the government wants for the post. It had earlier been reported that he had gone against the wishes of the government while choosing a VC for the Kerala University of Health Sciences. His predecessor, P. Sathasivam, had not reportedly interfered in such appointments.
The opinion of Jagadesh Kumar, Vice Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, who has been renominated by the University Grants Commission nominee to the new search panel, could also be significant as he may not agree with the views of the other members.
The tenure of the previous search panel ended on November 15 and it could not submit a list of applicants to Mr. Khan. In the previous panel, apart from Mr. Kumar, V.K. Ramachandran, deputy chairman, Kerala State Planning Board, was the Senate nominee; Chief Secretary Tom Jose was the Chancellor’s nominee. Their interview with five short-listed applicants could not be held as Mr. Kumar could not make it to Thiruvananthapuram on November 12. The Governor later decided to reconstitute the panel and the Senate renominated Mr. Ramachandran in December. Now, Mr. Jose and Mr. Kumar had been retained too.