CHENNAI: After a gap of six months, Bharathidasan and Periyar Universities have got new Vice-Chancellors. P Manishankar and Kolandaivel were appointed by Governor Barwarilal Purohit as Vice-Chancellors of Bharathidasan and Periyar Universities in Tiruchi and Salem respectively on Saturday.
Manishankar is an University Grants Commission Basic Science Research (BSR) faculty Fellow, Department of Industrial Chemistry in Alagappa University, while Kolandaivel is a UGC BSR faculty Fellow from the Department of Physics in Bharathiar University.
The appointment of the two Vice-Chancellors comes after the posts were lying vacant since June last year.
Manishankar, who has 32 years of research experience will replace V M Muthukumar. Kolandaivel who has guided 18 PhD scholars will succeed C Swaminathan.
While the Vice-Chancellors search committee in Periyar University received 194 applications for the post, 241 candidates applied for the post in Bharathidasan University of which only three were shortlisted by the IAS member-headed committees and sent to the Governor.
Both the Vice-Chancellors have been appointed for three years. Speaking to Express Kolandaivel said “Knowledge generated in the universities should extend to the colleges coming under their purview and the public at large.”