Medical varsity VC candidates present vision documents

CHENNAI: Nearly a dozen senior doctors were chosen from the list of 41 applicants aspiring to be vice-chancellors of the state medical university, to make a 20-minute presentation on their vision during a face-to-face interview before the three-member selection committee on Wednesday and Thursday. The committee is expected to submit names of three candidates to Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit, who is also the chancellor of the university, for selection to the 10th vice-chancellor of Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University.

The term of the existing vice chancellor Dr S Geethalakshmi will come to end by the end of this month. “The presentation was followed by a detailed discussion that lasted for another 20 minutes. The session was videotaped,” said one of the candidates who appeared for the interview. Doctors were asked to speak on how and why the varsity needs a medical college, ways to encourage research ideologies among medical students and improve standards of medical education. “This is the first time we are going through such an elaborate process for VC selection. It made every applicant think ahead about the role of VC in the university,” said another candidate.

On November 30, the committee convenor, Dr Sithyathiya Munavarah, published names of 41 applicants on the university web page. Retired professors, deans and directors of medical education, senior professors in government and private colleges below 70 years of age had applied. . The committee members refused to the divulge details but sources told TOI that less than a dozen candidates were shortlisted for the final interview.

“Many doctors were disqualified as they did not have the adequate qualification,” said one of the applicants, who wasn’t shortlisted for the final list as he did not have six years of experience as an administrator.