Edu-leaders

Malabika Sarkar has been named the interim Vice Chancellor (VC) of Presidency University. The former Head of the varsity's English Department will take over as the charge on October 18 for a period of one year.

West Bengal Governor MK Narayan notified her appointment after the State Government referred her name on the suggestion of the varsity’s mentor group. Education Minister Bratya Basu said Sarkar will head the university until the search committee names a full time VC.

Sarkar, a renowned academician, is said to be not linked to any political affiliation. A former student of Presidency College and, subsequently, Cambridge University, she has specialisation in Romanticism and 19th Century literature.

She was in charge of the English Department at Jadavpur University between 1999 and 2001 before being retired in 2009. She is currently associated with various universities in the UK and the US. She has authored a number of books and is also the Founder President of the Autonomous Centre for Studies in Romantic Literature in Kolkata in 1994. She is still the director of the centre.

In another important move, the state government has brought back five members of the Presidency University council, which was dissolved on September 12 and replaced by a seven-member mentor group.

VCs of Calcutta University Suranjan Das, Bihar Central University Janak Pandey, scientist Bikash Sinha, historian Mushurul Hassan and Chairman of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council HA Ranganathan have been included in the new mentor group of the varsity.

With the inclusion of these five, along with the existing seven of the mentor group and three other nominated members, Presidency’s council now has 15 members.

Source: igovernment