It is unsavoury news for a 50- year old University which once strode the region like a Colossus and was widely respected, to now find itself in the throes of ignominy with students shouting slogans outside the Vice Chancellor’s office instead of attending classes. The teaching and non-teaching community of the University too are on the warpath because of certain alleged indiscretions of the Vice Chancellor in the appointment of senior administrative staff, bypassing qualified local applicants. It is not difficult to comprehend what textbook the NEHU Vice Chancellor is following to guide his actions. Never in the past has a Vice Chancellor been the subject of such excoriation. Universities in this country are increasingly under threat from the Government, thereby restricting their ability to teach and research freely. Higher education institutions are being targeted because they are the home of critical inquiry and the free exchange of ideas. The Government wants to control universities out of fear that allowing them to operate freely might ultimately limit state power to operate without scrutiny. There is evidence of Government interference in leadership and governance structures.
A Vice Chancellor (VC) is expected to have leadership qualities since he is the pivot around which the University revolves. That also means he has to be able to inspire the entire faculty, staff and students and this demands extraordinary ‘people’ skills. Above all the VC must be an ace administrator capable of running the administrative functions smoothly with optimal and efficient use of the University’s resources. Additionally, the VC must also be a competent manager of the human resource of the University for the best outcomes. It is expected that the Vice Chancellor should be a policymaker with a vision who can formulate progressive policies for the university’s future. Last but perhaps the most important criterion for being a VC is to be a leader in academics too so that the University’s academic standards stand the test of rigid scrutiny.
The present problem in NEHU is in the nepotism involved in appointment of the Registrar and Deputy Registrars who allegedly are ill-suited to the tribal ethos for which NEHU was founded in the first place. The students and faculty are particularly aggrieved by the Registrar, a retired army personnel, who appears to lack the finesse to communicate in a language that is civil and courteous as is the practice in India’s North East, no matter who one is talking to. The Registrar’s core competence is to facilitate communication between students, faculty, and administrative staff to support the educational mission of the university. If this core mission is defeated then the Registrar’s appointment is facile. For the sake of NEHU’s reputation it is important to resolve the crisis at the earliest.
