Following the letters of D. K. Basa and H. S. Virk on the appointment and academic leadership of Vice-Chancellors (VCs) in recent issues of Current Science, I have been persuaded by a number of well-meaning friends to offer my comments in view of my experience as a VC for about a decade in three (2 State and 1 Central) universities and frequent membership of the usual search committees for VCs as well as my well-known views (e.g. in a 20-page article entitled 'When Conviction was Tested' in the book Ecstasy of Enlightenment). The word 'conviction' in the above article denotes 'my conviction about autonomy of the universities in general'. The scholarly reputation of a VC coupled (to the extent possible) with the continuance of his academic (research as well as teaching) pursuits, enable him to establish a rapport with the students as well as teachers of the university and to resist more convincingly any undue political pressures.
展开▼
