CHANDIGARH: Panjab University (PU) will have a regular vice-chancellor after 103 days, with the Chancellor and Vice-President of India, CP Radhakrishnan, appointing Prof Tankeshwar Kumar, currently vice-chancellor of Central University of Haryana, to the post for a three-year term.A notification issued by the Secretariat of the Vice-President on November 9, exercising powers under Section 10 of the Panjab University Act, 1947, said Kumar’s tenure would commence from the date he assumes charge as vice-chancellor. The notification has been signed by Amit Khare, secretary to the Vice-President and Chancellor of Panjab University.The appointment ends a prolonged transition that had continued despite the selection process reaching the interview stage before the outgoing VC’s tenure ended. Prof Renu Cheema Vig completed her tenure on July 28 after receiving a four-month extension from the Chancellor in March. Prof Meenakshi Goyal, dean of university instruction, was subsequently assigned the additional charge of vice-chancellor from July 29.The search-cum-selection committee constituted by the Chancellor in March was headed by Lt Gen (retd) Madhuri Kanitkar, vice-chancellor of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences. Its other members were Prof Shashikala Wanjari, vice-chancellor of the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration, and Prof Vibha Tandon, director of CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology.The committee had shortlisted 28 candidates, with 25 appearing for interactions scheduled on July 3 and 6. The candidates included Vig and several serving vice-chancellors and senior academics. However, no new appointment was announced before Vig’s tenure ended, and charge was given to the DUI.Kumar is not new to Panjab University. A former professor of physics at the university, he has also served as vice-chancellor of Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, from 2015 to 2021. He has been heading Central University of Haryana since 2021. His academic and administrative association with PU gives him familiarity with the institution, where he earlier served in the Department of Physics.His appointment comes at a crucial juncture for the university, which continues to face major governance-related challenges. The constitution of the new Senate remains pending even after the election process concluded on October 4. The previous Senate’s tenure ended on October 31, 2024, and the university has been without an elected governing body since then. The new VC will also inherit several long-pending administrative and institutional issues.Kumar’s appointment is for three years from the date he assumes charge.
