The J&K government Monday assigned the charge of Vice Chancellor (VC) Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST) to VC Kashmir University, Prof Talat Ahmad till further orders.
The decision has been approved by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who is also the Chancellor of the university, after the outgoing VC of IUST Prof MushtaqSidique completed his five-year term on Monday.
In an official communication addressed to the Registrar IUST, Pankaj Kumar Sharma, Special Secretary in the office of J&K LG, has said that the Chancellor had approved assigning the charge of VC IUST to Prof Talat Ahmad in addition to his own duties, in terms of Statute 2(5)(vi) of the IUST, till further orders.
A four-member search committee had been constituted to draw a panel of candidates for the appointment of new VC for the IUST Awantipora.
Headed by former VC Delhi University, Dinesh Singh as nominee of the Chancellor of the University, the other committee members are VC Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Tariq Mansoor, former VC MANUU, Prof Mohammad Miyan and VC Lucknow University, Prof Alok Kumar Rai. Prof Sidique was appointed as the VC IUST on May 12, 2016 for a period of three years.
Later, he was given an extension of two more years after the J&K government amended the related clause of the university act.
A resident of Srinagar, Prof Sidique earlier served in Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Srinagar for 14 years.
Meanwhile, in his exit letter addressed to all the faculty members, students and officers of the IUST, the outgoing VC IUST Prof Sidique extended his gratitude to the teaching and non-teaching fraternity of IUST for making his job as a leader insightful, learning, deliverable and pleasurable.
“I joined the university in 2016 and realized the potential for transformation existed in IUST and whole team needs to put every effort to address this path of transformation,” the letter reads. “We inducted more than 50 teaching faculty members and tens of non-teaching staff members that too through a merit-based, transparent selection process.”
The VC in his letter has recalled the continuous and sustained efforts given the negotiations made with J&K government, GoI, UGC, MHRD to get funding to the tune of over Rs 150 crore for the development of the university.
“The liberal funding allowed us to plan, design and execute infrastructural transformation which is visible to all stakeholders. IUST has created academic spaces for expansion upto 6000 students from the present 4200,” the letter reads.
The outgoing VC has further expressed that IUST being residential university through its act, needs to expand its residential spaces from present 1000 student spaces to at least 3000.
“Funds have been allocated partially for this demand too. Several academic reforms which included examination reforms have been introduced through Academic Council and Executive Council deliberations and approvals,” the letter reads.