Who is Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, JNU's first woman VC?

Shedding some light on her background and career as a professor at the Pune University, her colleague and the Head of the Political Science Department at the Pune University, Professor Mangesh Kulkarni, had a detailed conversation with ETV Bharat.

New Delhi: The recently appointed Vice-Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Professor Shantisree Dhulipudi Pandit, will go down in history as the first woman chancellor of JNU. Shedding some light on her background and career as a professor at the Pune University, her colleague and the Head of the Political Science Department at the Pune University, Professor Mangesh Kulkarni, had a detailed conversation with ETV Bharat.

Prof Kulkarni said that Pandit has been working at Pune University as a professor for the past three decades and has proved her mettle time and again. "I know her even before we started working together. She has been an inspiration to generations of students at the university. A lot of students look up to her especially when it comes to communication. She has a strong grip over not just the English language, but Marathi too," he said.

Kulkarni also praised Pandit's leadership skills apart from her flexibility and humble nature as a teacher. He said that none of the professors from the university have gotten a chance to serve as the Vice-Chancellor of a national university before. "It is a matter of great pride for us that one among us will be serving at such a prestigious position in a university like JNU," he said.

He said that a number of students including foreigners have completed their PhDs under her guidance, while she herself has majored in International Politics. "She has been a popular professor among the students. In the past she has also headed several inter-institutional projects, adding value to our university time and again," he said. He also affirmed that he believes she will add value to JNU.

Professor Pandit is currently working as a professor at the Pune University and holds a background in MPhil and PhD from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, where she was also the gold medalist in her M.Phil. According to the order issued by the Ministry of Education, her tenure as the Vice-Chancellor will last for five years.

She is replacing Professor M. Jagadesh Kumar, whose tenure as the Vice-Chancellor of JNU ended on January 26, 2021. However, the Ministry of Education had issued an order for him to continue on his post until the next appointment is concluded. After Pandit's appointment as the Vice-Chancellor, Kumar has been appointed as the chairman of the University Grants Commission.