NEW DELHI: Naima Khatoon has been appointed Vice Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), making her the first woman to hold the top position in over 100 years.
She was appointed after receiving approval from President Droupadi Murmu, who is the Visitor to the University.
She has been appointed VC from the date on which she enters her office or the date on which she completes seventy years of age, whichever is earlier, a notification issued by AMU said. Permission from the Election Commission of India (ECI) was also sought given the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) being in place due to the Lok Sabha elections.
The notification said that the ECI has stated that the commission has no objection from the MCC angle to the proposal related to the appointment of the AMU VC subject to the condition that no political mileage be derived from it.
Khatoon, who completed her PhD in psychology from AMU, was appointed as a lecturer in the same department in 1988 before being elevated to professor in 2006. She continued there before being appointed the principal of the Women’s College in 2014. Founded in 1875, Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College became AMU in 1920, following the Aligarh Muslim University Act.
In September 2020, AMU completed 100 years as a university, becoming one of the oldest universities in India. In 1920, Begum Sultan Jahan was appointed as the AMU chancellor. She continues to be the only woman to have held the post.