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.
Also read: UGC denies ’eminence’ tag to Ashoka, KREA, Jadavpur and Azim Premji universities
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)
Also read: What institutions like Ashoka University forget when hiring a Pratap Bhanu Mehta