Ravenshaw: Will new V-C succeed in breaking tainted legacy?

SATURDAY, 26 NOVEMBER 2011 23:44

BASUDEV MALLIK | BHUBANESWAR

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Now that the new Vice-Chancellor of Ravenshaw University has taken over, after much debate over the question of a new incumbent to the top post in the wake of the retirement of Debdas Chhotroy on completion of a consecutive second term, the intellectuals and the academia are far from satisfied as they are still skeptical about the tainted legacy being obliterated, making way for a clean, congenial and healthy atmosphere within the campus and without.

As the new Vice-Chancellor Baishnab Charan Tripathy, so far a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, joined the coveted post on Friday, there prevailed a jubilant mood among those concerned with higher education for one reason at least that Prof Tripathy is an academic with a clean personality irrespective of his capability for energetic lobbying which many ignore as a common trend in a world of politicking and cutthroat competition.

But their so-called ecstatic mood proved transient the moment the hovering shadow of a tainted culture created in the past years flashed again, generating a critical question- will the new Vice-Chancellor carry on casually or initiate measures to restore the glory the Ravenshaw University once basked in by mending the wrongs his predecessor has forced upon the heritage institution?

They suggest creation of non-statutory posts, not sanctioned by the Government, arbitrarily to satisfy vested interest and imposition of a heavy financial burden on the nascent university thereby must go once for all. Citing the instances of Biju Mathews and Chinmoy Mohapatra, whose appointments cost the university’s exchequer minimum Rs 2,00,000 they are the real financial managers on constructions in the absence of a finance committee and the Registrar is relegated to the background with the exception of signing prepared drafts.

Contractual postings are galore while the staff of the erstwhile Ravenshaw College, who managed the affairs of the university till things were set rolling, are yet to be absorbed in the university set-up.

The Registrar and the Controller of Examinations hand-picked from among the faculty have made things awry for having no full authority over their respective spheres. While the Registrar has practically no role in financial matters, paucity of faculty members and obstinate nature of the CoE have made the entire system topsy-turvy. Even the university is not capable enough to manage self-finance courses, transferring them to private parties under MoU provisions.

The most short-sighted and eccentric step taken during the tenure of the outgoing VC is that while there are not sufficient classrooms, resulting in the reduction in the number of classes, and no teachers’ sitting rooms and department blocks, an ambitious project was taken up for construction of a Convention Hall at a cost of Rs9,83,19,000. While the executing agency IDCO has received Rs3.5 crore, the balance amount payable is Rs 6,33,19,000 which puts an enormous burden on the new Vice-Chancellor who may have no option to lay his hands on other basic requirements.

In this context they take note of the two proposed hostels for which the Chief Minister lay foundation stones. While the two hostels are badly needed to accommodate the increasing number of students, the ex-VC had issued administrative approval of Rs 3.40 crore for only one girls’ hostel against the IDCO’s estimated cost of Rs 3,69,10,800.

There are so many small but important examples of arbitrariness with which the ex-VC acted and the new VC will be able to learn about these gradually as he adapts himself to the new responsibility. But will he be able to get over the tainted legacy and set things right at the Ravenshaw or act casually and be more interested to just spend a term, covering up what has ‘already been done’?- the skeptics want to know. On the other hand, many hope things may change as Tripathy would prefer safeguarding his own image to getting mired for somebody else’s misdeeds.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/23502-ravenshaw-will-new-v-c-succeed-in-breaking-tainted-legacy.html

Baishnab Tripathy is Ravenshaw V-C

Express News Service

Last Updated : 20 Nov 2011 12:29:59 PM IST

BHUBANESWAR: Prof Baishnab Charan Tripathy was on Saturday appointed Vice-Chancellor (V-C) of Ravenshaw University, succeeding Debdas Chhotray.

 Tripathy is currently a professor in the School of Life Sciences in Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He will hold the post for a period of three years or until further orders.

 The office of Governor and Chancellor of Universities Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare announced appointment of two V-Cs on the day, including that of Tripathy.

 Prof Bijay Kumar Nanda is made V-C of Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (VSSUT), Burla. At present, Nanda is a professor in the department of Mechanical Engineering in National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela.

 Both Nanda and Tripathy are known to be outstanding academicians with a host of research publications, both in national and international journals, to their credit.

http://expressbuzz.com/states/orissa/baishnab-tripathy-is-ravenshaw-v-c/335102.html

Bid to gain stamp of legitimacy for Ravenshaw misdeeds

SATURDAY, 12 NOVEMBER 2011 00:05

PNS | BHUBANESWAR

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http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/bhubaneswar/19814-bid-to-gain-stamp-of-legitimacy-for-ravenshaw-misdeeds.html

The Ravenshaw University in Cuttack is currently witnessing a series of VIP footfalls even as its first Vice-Chancellor Devdas Chhotray, who faces a plethora of allegations for his controversial decisions and shifting focus from academic issues, is counting his days to retire on November 24.

Chhotray, who has since been calling himself as the "lame-duck V-," has been inviting prominent personalities to the campus to what his critics say "to legitimise the questionable deeds he has done vitiating the academic atmosphere in the university." According to sources, Chhotray, who is retiring at attaining the age of 65, is interested for extension of his term in view of certain quarters carrying on a campaign for cancellation of the recent decision of the Search Committee on a new Vice-Chancellor. The committee, as per the procedure, selected a panel of three names out of about 100 candidates, which is now with the Chancellor (State Governor) for choosing one after an interaction with them by the end of this month.

Rajya Sabha member Pyarimohan Mohapatra, who is known as the principal political adviser of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, was invited to the campus to inaugurate the Ravenshaw Amphitheatre on Friday. Chhotray sought to impress Mohapatra about what he has done during his tenure as the V-C. The outgoing V-C has also invited Chief Minister Patnaik to lay the foundation-stone of a girls' hostel in the campus on Saturday. This programme was only known to the university staff on Friday. It may be recalled that Chhotray had earlier faced a lot of criticism for the alleged misuse of the existing heritage East and West Hostels of the university.

The V-C is also trying to invite the State Governor and university Chancellor MC Bhandare later this month, before his retirement, to attend some programmes.