TISS VC recruitment underway, interviews in Dec

MUMBAI: Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) is searching for the institute’s new Vice Chancellor (VC). This is the first VC appointment at TISS under the new selection process mandated by the UGC Regulations 2023.

Out of 127 applicants, 10 candidates, including five senior academics, have been shortlisted by a confidential search panel for interviews on December 5, a senior official said. Following this, three names will be recommended to the Union Ministry of Education for the final selection.

This important appointment is coming more than a year after the former VC Shalini Bharat’s term ended. Since then, the additional charge of TISS has been assigned to Professor Manoj Kumar Tiwari, director of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Mumbai.

Previously, the appointment of the director was overseen by a governing body established by the sponsoring organization, Tata Trusts. Under the new framework approved by TISS, an executive council chaired by a government-appointed VC, will replace the governing council and Tata Trusts will no longer play a decisive role in appointments. This brings TISS appointments under central oversight, like deemed universities receiving over 50% of their funding from the Union government.