The Ministry of Education has announced Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit as Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). She is the first woman Vice Chancellor of JNU. Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit is a professor political science at Savtribai Phue Pune University. Dr. Pandit has been appointed as the 13th VC of JNU.
The appointment of a lady professor at a prestigious institute like JNU is considered a welcoming step. President Ram Nath Kovind appointed Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit as VC of JNU. The new VC of JNU will hold the responsibilities of the chair for a complete tenure of five years. The lady is the successor of M. Jagadesh Kumar, who had a stormy tenure in the University.
Know More About First Woman Vice Chancellor of JNU
Dr. Pandit, the first woman Vice Chancellor of JNU, has taken charge of the VC’s chair from 7 February 2022. She is the 13th VC on the University and an alumna of the Jawaharlal Nehru University. She is appointed as VC for the university for next five years.
The 59 year old new VC of JNU has pursued her M. Phil in International Relations and did a Ph.D. in the same. Dr. Pandit did her thesis on ‘Parliament and Foreign Policy in India — The Nehru years.’ In her career, Dr. Pandit has guided 29 Ph. D.
Dr. Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit started her teaching career in 1988 at Goa University. After that, she started as a lecturer of Political Science. She joined SPPU in 1993, and she has also gained experience working in administrative positions in universities.
She can speak six languages, and Sanskrit is one of them. During her tenure at Savtribai Phue Pune University, she has guided many students in M. Phil and Ph.D. At SPPU, Dr. Pandit has taught papers on media research, politics and communication, and mass media at the University’s communication department.
The new VC of JNU has published three books and many booklets. She has edited approx 100 chapters in books and more than 180 research papers. Reputed publishers have published her work on political science and foreign policies. Dr. Pandit has also been a member of the University Grants Commission (UGC). She has a membership of the Indian Council of Social Science Research and worked as Visitor’s nominee to central universities.
Controversy Related to Appointment of First Woman Vice Chancellor of JNU
JNU is a reputed university, and it has its name in many controversies. So the appointment of a new VC for the University is not small news. By appointing a lady VC to the University, the authorities have taken a step towards equality for both genders at work place. Still, this appointment has a few controversies attached to it. The first woman Vice chancellor of JNU has tweeted long back against the protest in JNU. After announcing her appointment as VC of the University, a few students have started to outrage on social media platforms because of the old tweets. Many social media accounts blamed her for being islamophobic. However, there is no confirmation that the tweets were from Dr. Pandit’s Twitter account. However, Dr. Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit has deleted her Twitter account, considering the ongoing outrage.
Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit’s reaction to the appointment
Dr. Pandit said after she was appointed VC of JNU that her focus would be on the implementation of the National Education Policy and providing a gender-sensitive environment for academic excellence. She further added in her statement, “as vice-chancellor, JNU, I thank both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Higher Education for giving me this opportunity as the first woman and alumnus of this esteemed university from the state of Tamil Nadu.”
