As the Chancellor of the state universities in Maharashtra, Bhagat Singh Koshyari, on Friday named Dr. Digambar Tukaram Shirke as the in-charge VC of the University of Mumbai after Dr. Suhas Pednekar resigned from his position on Saturday. 2018 saw the appointment of Pednekar as VC. Dr. Pednekar resigned after turning 65 years old, even though his five-year term was not yet up.
Dr. Shirke has more than 35 years of expertise in academia, research, and administration. He is a native of Vadgaon in the Kolhapur district's Hatkanangale Taluka. Dr. Shirke was named the university's vice chancellor after leading Shivaji University's statistics department from 2005 to 2015.
Due to the disagreement between the state and federal governments, the search for Mumbai University's VC previously could not begin.
Following the change in state government, the search for a new vice chancellor of Mumbai University has now started.“The search committee work will take two-three months to complete the process and recommend names. Until then, Dr. Shirke will continue to lead MU,” informed a representative of the Governor's office.
At a ceremony held in the Management Council's hall in the Fort complex, Dr. Digambar Shirke took his oath of office as VC. He claimed at the occasion that the esteemed university had fostered a rich historical legacy and tradition of enlightenment. He also requested that everyone work together and put in effort at all levels to keep this process going. The new vice chancellor stated that his primary priority will be the implementation of the new National Education Policy, exam patterns, different authority elections, and the impact of COVID-19 on the academic calendar.