CAMPUS JOTTINGS
EC meeting
The meeting of the Andhra University Executive Council to be held on June 19, a day before the campus reopens after summer vacation, has created a lot of interest among the community.
What will be the fate of the present EC members is the topic of discussion. Since they are all appointees of the previous Telugu Desam Party Government, there is a likelihood of their being changed. It is also expected that some vacant posts of Chairmen of Board of Studies, Deans, etc., will be filled up soon. The Vice-Chancellor, L. Venugopal Reddy, has to decide on the post of Registrar. The present Registrar has completed his term.
The post of Director of UGC-Administrative Staff College has fallen vacant after K.S. Chalam was elevated as Vice-Chancellor of Dravidian University (he later opted to become the Union Public Service Commission Member). The Dean of Academic Affairs is retiring in a couple of months and there are some more vacant posts. In some cases the officials appointed in the past are continuing after completing their term as in-charge officials. There are many aspirants for the new posts and the suspense is likely to end soon. This is going to be quite an exercise for Prof. Reddy.
PG admissions
With post-graduate admission counselling to commence this week, a liberal methodology is expected to be introduced for the benefit of candidates who in the past faced problems in getting admission into PG courses. While the V-C has already promised to allow sliding facility, liberalised admission into hostels and is all set to start admission into Ph.D. programmes, which are all indications of liberalisation, it is expected that vertical method of admission will be waived in case of the law course.
The previous V-C, Y.C. Simhadri, introduced the vertical method of admission (which denied a candidate having a PG degree admission into another PG course of LL.B.) to prevent students from intentionally continuing their stay on the campus by doing one course after another and thereby creating problems to the administration. But this time, the AU administration appears to be willing to allow candidates with PG qualification to join the law courses. This is in accordance with the existing provision allowed by the Government that one can have a degree in law along with a PG degree. This is being followed by other universities.
The same facility may be extended to the MJMC course also, which is also a professional course.
Dean of commerce faculty
A senior professor of the Department of Commerce and Management Studies, D. Panduranga Rao, has been appointed Dean and Chairman of the Faculty of Commerce.
Prof. Panduranga Rao has a vast experience as a teacher and administrator. He is at present Director of the Institute of Transport Management and had served a term as Principal of the then combined College of Arts and Commerce.
In his capacity as Dean and Chairman of the Faculty of Commerce, Prof. Panduranga Rao attained the status of Class-I ex-officio member of the AU Academic Senate.
AUTA team for Hyderabad
The office-bearers of the AU Teachers Association (AUTA) have gone to Hyderabad to join the other delegations of the AP University Teachers Associations to insist that the Government concede the long-pending demands of university teachers in the State.
Interesting conferences
A couple of interesting conferences were hosted by the AU departments recently. One is on disaster management conducted by the Academic Staff College, as part of a plan to establish an Institute for Disaster Management. The conference was attended by the officials concerned with disaster management, like the Director of the AP State Remote Sensing Applications Centre, K. Mruthyunjaya Reddy, and the Admiral Superintendent of the Naval Dockyard, N.M. Nadaph, with the Commissioner of Police, V.S.K. Kaumudi, in the chair. The V-C inaugurated the conference. The discussions with representatives from organisations like the life-saving society, medical professionals, and others should help the idea of an institute taking shape.
According to the seminar director, N.A. Vara Prasad Reddy, the proposed institute will organise training camps, train the trainers, network similar organisations, form a rapid action strike force and take up capacity building of NGOs to deal with situation of disasters.
Economics School initiative
The School of Economics is now involved in an important exercise of helping the Centre for Economic and Social Studies (CESS) in preparing the AP Human Development Report, and conducted a one-day regional workshop on Saturday.
The data and expertise available with the department should lead to a detailed report on north coastal Andhra districts. The Head of the Department, G. Ramachandrudu, who has the experience of leading the Population Research Centre in the past, is actively involved in the exercise.
The workshop, attended by representatives of a cross-section of peoplem, discussed the problems relating to agriculture and allied activities, natural resources, industrialisation and environmental concerns, issues relating to social development and problems of tribals, fishermen and other socially disadvantaged people.
New course
Dr. V.S. Krishna Government Degree College is introducing a restructured course in B.Sc. with microbiology, zoology and chemistry combination in English medium from academic 2005-06.
The college has obtained permission from the Director of Collegiate Education to start the new course. Students who have passed intermediate or equivalent examination with biology, physics and chemistry combination are eligible for the course. The last date for receiving applications is June 17, according to the Principal of the college, M. Karuna.
Honour for AU teacher
An Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy, K.R. Rajani, has been nominated as president of the AP chapter of the World Council for Curriculum and Instruction (WCCI).
Dr. Rajani delivered lectures on the influence of Indian philosophy on the Indian system of education at Tennessee State University, Vanderbilt University and the University of Chicago during a two-month stay and also completed a research project titled "Moral issues in philosophy of education: a global perspective" in which she has incorporated the ideas of many existing American philosophers. This paper will be published in the December issue of WCCI international journal. Dr. Rajani has been invited to participate in an international conference on "India implementing pluralism and democracy" at the University of Chicago during November where the Nobel laureate, Amartya Sen, will deliver the keynote address. She has been appointed as president of the AP chapter by the president of WCCI's North American chapter, Roger W. Wiemers.
Apprentice training
Apprentice training for the candidates, who have completed the Medical Lab Technician (MLT), Multi Purpose Health Workers (MPHW) Male Nurse and Female Nurse courses, will be given at the Training and Development Centre at Visakhapatnam Steel Plant.
The interviews for MLT candidates will be held on June 20 and for others on June 21 and 22 at the T&DC. The applicants have to send their marks memo of the qualifying examination, marks statement of SSC and five passport size photographs to the Board of Intermediate Examination office at Pithapuram colony, Visakhapatnam, by June 17.
Details and applications can also be had at S.V.V.J. College, near TTD Kalyana Mandapam, MVP Colony.
G. NARASIMHA RAO
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