New Delhi: Krea University, a fledgling private institution backed by former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan among others, has appointed Ashoka University professor Mahesh Rangarajan as its new vice-chancellor.
The university, based in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, made an official announcement in this regard Wednesday.
According to the university statement, current vice-chancellor Dr Sunder Ramaswamy will complete his tenure in June 2021, and will continue to be associated with Krea as distinguished visiting professor of economics.
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Who is Mahesh Rangarajan?
Rangarajan is a professor of history and environmental studies at Ashoka University, prior to which he worked at Delhi University. He will take charge of the new position in July this year.
He has an MA and a DPhil, both from Oxford University where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He has also taught at Cornell University, the Indian Institute of Science and the National Centre for Biological Sciences.
Rangarajan had actually started his career as a journalist, and has also served in roles outside academia, including as the director of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi. He also wrote columns for The Indian Express.
Krea University’s statement quoted him as saying: “It is my honour and privilege to accept this position, and join the extraordinarily talented faculty, staff and students of Krea University in pursuit of our shared mission. I will strive to uphold the high standards of innovation and excellence that Krea University stands for.”
Krea, which started admissions in August 2019, currently has two schools — School of Interwoven Arts and Sciences, which offers three-year BA (Hons) and BSc (Hons) degrees with the option of a fourth year of advanced studies; and IFMR Graduate School of Business, which offers PhD, MBA and customised management development programmes.
(Edited by Shreyas Sharma)
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Professor Mahesh Rangarajan is a highly respected academician of India. His forte is environmental and contemporary history. He has substantial administrative experience from his days as the head of Nehru Memorial Museums and Library.
He is a creative mind, offering solutions to many problems.. He is not a problem creator or a rabble-rouser who misguides his students to become andolanjeevis and create dissent on every mudda in the country. There are many in the academic world who teach less and preach more. He is not the least like them.
Rangarajan is also known to be a loveable and approachable prof. His students love him. Krea students have a good leader as their VC. Best of luck to Krea
A liberal and democrat like Pratap Bhanu Mehta cannot be tolerated by a private university, that rings the warning bell about the already expired date of bourgeois democracy. The apologists stil cling on to edges of its coffin are only mourning either silently or vociferously. Pratap, a sharp critical mind, must have known this better than anyone else in the academia of India today.
He is not a democrat. This is not the US.
You caught him…… Ha. Ha.
Very true! This is mindless ‘cut & paste’ of American phares in the Indian context. Remember ‘post truth’?