Professor Manoj Tiwari, the Director of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Mumbai, has been given the additional responsibility of serving as the Director of TISS until a new full-time director is appointed. This comes after Professor Shalini Bharat resigned from her position as the Director of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) after serving a five-year term. Her last day at the institute, located in Mumbai’s Deonar area, was on Monday.
Prof Bharat is well-known for her research on various important topics, including equity and access in reproductive and women’s health, social factors affecting HIV and TB, issues related to stigma, discrimination, and human rights, as well as the development of prevention technologies for HIV. She has also contributed to areas such as self-testing for HIV prevention, the health and well-being of young people, family studies, child adoption, women’s roles in work and family, and the demography of the Indian Parsi community.
This appointment marks the first one under the revised regulations of the University Grants Commission (UGC), which now involves the central government in appointments at TISS and other deemed-to-be universities that receive more than 50 per cent of their funding from the Centre.
In an interview with The Indian Express upon her retirement, Professor Bharat expressed her deep appreciation, saying, “I am truly honored and privileged to have served this institution as Director, especially considering I started here as a lecturer back in 1984. It has been an incredibly fulfilling journey for me.” Professor Bharat also mentioned that her retirement marks the end of her nearly four-decade-long association with the institute.
Professor Shalini Bharat took on the role of Director in September 2018 following the retirement of Prof S Parsuraman in February of the same year. She initially served as the acting director after her predecessor’s retirement and was later appointed as the full-time Director after seven months.
Professor Bharat confirmed that her service at TISS has come to an end, but she intends to continue her research work through other avenues. She emphasized that there’s no limit to pursuing research.
Additionally, she serves as a member of several national scientific advisory committees and boards, actively engaging in various national-level programs, schemes, policies, and field interventions related to health, public health, social development, gender, HIV/AIDS, TB prevention, and more.
As per the revised UGC regulations, there’s a significant change in how director appointments are made at TISS. Previously, the sponsoring body, which includes representatives from Tata Trust, had a major say in this process. They used to establish a selection committee for appointing the director, and this committee included a UGC nominee.
However, under the new rules, the governing council, which was overseen by the sponsoring body, will be replaced by an executive council. This executive council will be chaired by a Vice-Chancellor appointed by the government. This means that the government-appointed Vice-Chancellor will now play a central role in the selection process for the director of TISS, rather than the sponsoring body having the final say.
Comments
0 comment