Odisha governor appoints V-Cs for 14 state universities

Odisha governor Hari Babu Kambhampati on Monday appointed vice-chancellors to 14 state universities across the state after the Biju Janata Dal shone the spotlight on prolonged vacancies in universities. Kambhampati said he was confident that these universities will continue to excel in education, research, and innovation, shaping the future of higher education in Odisha (X/DrHariBabuK)

According to a statement by Lok Bhavan, the governor, who is also the chancellor of state universities appointed V-Cs for Utkal University, Ravenshaw University, Fakir Mohan University, Dharanidhar University, Gangadhar Meher University, Khallikote Unitary University, Maa Manikeswari University, Madhusudan Law University, Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University, Rajendra University, Rama Devi Women’s University, Shree Jagannath Sanskrit University, Vikram Dev University and Odia University.

These universities did not have regular V-Cs for durations varying from 1 to 3 years.

To be sure, the recruitment process for selecting the V-Cs began in June 2025, following the passage of the Odisha University (Amendment) Act, 2024, that addressed procedural ambiguities.

Applications were invited for 13 universities functioning without regular heads, drawing nearly 350 applications from academics across the country.

The appointments come amid persistent staff shortages in state universities, with 2,117 faculty positions and 2,500 non-teaching posts remaining vacant. Some universities had been functioning under interim arrangements, with senior-most professors serving as in-charge vice-chancellors or existing VCs continuing on short-term extensions.

The BJD’s youth and student wings threatened to launch statewide street protests earlier in the day if vacant posts in universities were not filled by the end of April.

Biju Yuva Janata Dal president Chinmay Sahu and Biju Chhatra Janata Dal president Ipsita Sahu said there was a “virtual paralysis” in the higher education department.

Sahu said VC appointments were earlier routed through the State Public Service Commission and typically completed months before the retirement of outgoing incumbents. He alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government had discontinued this system.