TIRUCHY : The list of applications received for the post of Bharathidasan University (BDU) Vice-Chancellor (VC) released on Monday raised eyebrows among academicians. More applications were received for the VC position than for assistant professors. As per the list of VC applicants on the BDU website, 241 candidates have applied for the post. As work on selecting a new VC is on simultaneously at Periyar University and BDU, the former received 194 applications. A BDU source said the last date for VC applications was November 20 and a three-member committee would scrutinise the CVs by December 20. “With just a few days left for December, it is doubtful whether the committee would be able to scrutinise all applications since the response has been overwhelming,” the source said.
Express had earlier reported the process for selecting the BDU VC would become transparent. Now, this is the first time the university has introduced transparency in its method of processing VC applications.
A member of the Teachers Association of Bharathidasan University (TABU) said only about 100 applications or even less has been submitted for assistant professor posts in all departments. “It comes as a shock to see such a huge number of applications for the VC post. The norms should be tightened to scrutinise the applications. A minimum age should be prescribed,” the TABU member said.
The existing BDU norms make anybody within 70 years of age eligible to apply for the VC post. The TABU member said VC aspirants must have more credentials than an assistant professor and a high Academic Performance Index (API) score of more than 400 points.A lecturer with the university said the expenditure for scrutinising applications would likely shoot up and matters would become difficult. “The management could collect a fee during registration for coping with finance issues,” said the lecturer.