After months delay, 9 T varsities finally get VCs 
3 Universities Still Remain Headless
Nirupa.Vatyam@timesofindia.com
Hyderabad : After a delay of several months, vice chancellors (VCs) were finally appointed for nine of the 12 state universities in the state on Friday. Although the notification was released in Jan/Feb this year, the appointments got delayed as the search committee meetings were not held until the first week of October. In the meantime, these state varsities were being administered by in-charge VCs, who were all bureaucrats. The term of regular VCs had ended on May 21 for all varsities except Prof Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) where the post had been lying vacant since Jan, 2022.
On Friday, governor Jishnu Dev Varma appointed the VCs for nine of the state varsities from the names sent to him. VCs have been appointed to Osmania University (OU), Hyderabad; Kakatiya University, Warangal; Satavahana University, Karimnagar; Telugu University, Hyderabad; Palamuru University, Mahabubnagar; Mahatma Gandhi University, Nalgonda; Telangana University, Nizamabad; PJTSAU, Hyderabad; and Sri Konda Laxman Telangana Horticultural University (SKLTSHU). The new OU VC, Kumar Molugaram, who is from the varsity’s department of civil engineering, told TOI: “It is a great moment for me as I was born in Telangana, studied here and I am now appointed as VC of one of the greatest universities not just in the state, but in the country.”
New VCs of T varsities focus on faculty, research initiatives New OU VC, Kumar Molugaram said his priority will be to improve the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) and National Institutional Ranking Framework of the varsity. “In consultation with the govt, we first want to address faculty shortage. We will also focus on ensuring there is a peaceful and academic environment in the varsity,” he added. Kumar, who earned his bachelor's degree from OU, has held various administrative positions at the varsity, including principal of University College of Engineering, chairman of the board of studies in civil engineering department, and dean of faculty of engineering among others. Along with Kumar Molugaram, three other retired professors from OU – Pratap Reddy (zoology), Umesh Kumar (chemistry) and Nityananda Rao (Telugu) – have been appointed as VCs of Kakatiya, Satavahana and Telugu universities respectively. Two professors – Altaf Hussain and Yadagiri Rao from Kakatiya University – will be the VCs of Mahatma Gandhi and Telangana universities respectively. Likewise, GN Srinivas from JNTUH has been appointed as VC of Palamuru University. Two professors – Aldas Janaiah and Raji Reddy from PJTSAU – will be the VCs of PJTSAU and horticultural varsity respectively. “The university will reorient its research to benefit farmers and serve as a knowledge partner for the govt in the agricultural sector,” said Janaiah, who is the senior-most professor in all universities in Telangana with the highest academic degree of post-doctoral fellow from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI, the Philippines). The three varsities which are yet to get VCs are Jawaharlal Nehru Technology University, Hyderabad; Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University and Dr BR Ambedkar Open University.
