Selection Committee to interview 10 shortlisted candidates for TISS Vice-Chancellor post

FRONTLINE 02-06-2015 Mumbai Maharashtra : Picture for Frontline to go with R K Radhakrishnan’s story. Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai. Pic by SHASHI ASHIWAL
| Photo Credit: SHASHI ASHIWAL

After a delay of more than a year, a permanent Vice-Chancellor is set to be appointed in Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) with the selection committee slated to conduct in-person interviews with 10 shortlisted candidates on Sunday, in a confidential process.

According to official sources, the interviews are scheduled to take place at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM-Mumbai) campus. The selection panel consists of top officials from Delhi University, IIM-Kolkata and one executive council member from TISS.

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Of the 127 persons who had applied for the coveted post, 10 candidates have been shortlisted, of which five are TISS teaching staff. Official sources said that the potential candidates who are vying for the VC post have been shortlisted from the Schools of Health Systems, Development Studies, Management and Labour Studies, Law and Governance and Habitat Studies.

The other five shortlisted candidates belong to Central universities, including University of Mumbai and University of Allahabad.

“After the interviews are conducted, three candidates are slated for further shortlisting and the three names will then be relayed to Ministry of Education. The Ministry of Education may take another few days to issue an official order of selection,” the source said.

After Shalini Bharat, the previous VC of TISS, retired in 2023, the position has remained unfilled. Manoj Tiwari, who is also the VC of IIM-Mumbai, is currently filling in as the acting VC.

“Because the acting VC holds a full-time position in IIM Mumbai, the institute is majorly headed by Pro VC Shankar Das,” a senior professor from TISS said, citing anonymity.

TISS has been in controversy through the year as students and faculty have alleged that the style of administration has become more centralised. “Administrative delays including that of delay in convocation, students unable to submit their degrees in time to their employers have plagued the institute over the year,” the professor added.

Earlier in June, TISS had issued termination notices to nearly 100 staff members including teaching staff, citing lack of fund sanctions, before Tata Trusts ensured that provisions were being made to extend their contracts. “Tata Trusts have extended contracts for the 100 positions only till December this year and the future of these 100 staffers is uncertain as of date,” the professor said.