Search Committee to meet on Jan.8

Mysuru: The process of selection of a Vice-Chancellor for Mysore University, which had literally gone under wraps, seems to have got a lease of life again with a meeting of the Search Committee scheduled for Jan.8 to select a new person for the coveted post.

The Committee, headed by Prof. H.P. Khincha, is scheduled to meet at the office of the Department of Higher Education in Bengaluru to recommend names of three new persons to the Government for the VC’s post.

Prof. Khincha, former VC of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), will represent the Government, H.M. Maheshwaraiah, VC of Central University of Karnataka, Kalaburagi, represents the Governor, Dr. V.S. Chauhan represents University Grants Commission (UGC) and Prof. V.B. Coutinho, former VC, represents Mysore University in the Committee.

The said Search Committee had earlier recommended the names of retired Professor of Mysore University C.P. Siddashrama, Bengaluru University Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication N.S. Ashok Kumar and HoD of Environmental Science R.K. Somashekar for the post of Mysore University VC.

The State Government had zeroed-in on Siddashrama for the post and recommended to the Governor. However, the Governor reportedly had rejected the recommendation of the Government thrice and had asked the Government to recommend a new person from a different list of short-listed persons. In that context, the Search Committee is meeting again, it is learnt.