BHUBANESWAR: The Chancellor of Universities and Governor of Odisha Prof Ganeshi Lal on Friday appointed Prof Geetanjali Dash as the Vice-Chancellor of Berhampur University. Prof Dash has been appointed for a period of four years. With more than 36 years of teaching experience including 12 years of professorship, she retired as a political science professor at Fakir Mohan University. She has authoured 5 books and has 30 publications to her credit.
Getting National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) accreditation for colleges affiliated to Berhampur University is her priority, Prof Dash told this paper. Of 150 affiliated colleges, only 18 have NAAC accreditation. Also, NAAC visit to the university is due. “My immediate priority would be to meet the NAAC peer team. Although NAAC accreditation is mandatory for offering quality education, many of the colleges under Berhampur University do not have it yet due to various reasons. We will provide them the training and hand-holding support to apply for NAAC accreditation,” said Prof Dash.
She also plans to improve the employability of the students by providing them with vocational training through various courses. Speaking about faculty vacancies in the university, she said OPSC is gradually appointing faculty members in phases and recently 10 of them have joined the institution. “We are hopeful that in the next few months, the vacancies will be filled up,” she said.
Earlier, the Chancellor’s office had received 57 applications for the post from academicians across the country.