Professor M Jagdeesh Kumar of IIT to succeed JNU V-C Sopory

IIT-Delhi professor M. Jagdeesh Kumar has been appointed the next vice-chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University after his name was cleared by President Pranab Mukherjee from a panel of four forwarded to him by the HRD ministry.

Prof. Kumar, a professor of electrical engineering at IIT-Delhi, said that he had received a communication from the ministry on Thursday informing him about his appointment.

A professor of electrical engineering at IIT-Delhi, Prof. Kumar said his priorities after taking over as the JNU V-C would be to strengthen collaboration between institutions, streamline recruitment process and interact with students to see how the research output can be improved. He said that the institutions like IIT Delhi and JNU are close to each other, but there is need for more cross-collaboration in various areas than is actually happening.

Asked about reports that he attended an RSS-linked event, Prof. Kumar said, “I am an academician and have no formal association with any organisation,” adding that he attended the event as it was about science and organised at IIT-Delhi. The event was organised by RSS-linked body Vijnana Bharati.

Asked as to how he, with a primarily science background, would administer JNU, which has a very strong humanities side, Kumar said science and humanities can work together. He added that even in engineering studies there is an important humanities component.

“I think JNU is a unique institution, the way it has several schools and centres like on languages, international studies and law etc. and I consider them a strength of the institution,” he added.

The term of JNU’s current V-C Prof. Sudhir Kumar Sopory will end by January 27. The President, as Visitor of all Central universities, selected Prof. Kumar’s nomination from a panel of four eminent names, including scientist V.S. Chauhan, coordinator of the National Centre for Applied Human Genetics, JNU, R.N.K. Bamezai and Ramakrishna Ramaswamy of the department of physical sciences, JNU, it is learnt.