Four-member panel formed for appointment of next IUST Vice Chancellor

SRINAGAR — The Lieutenant Governor’s Secretariat, Jammu and Kashmir, has constituted a high-level committee for the selection of the Vice Chancellor of the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), Awantipora, in accordance with prescribed norms.

According to an official order issued from Lok Bhavan, Jammu, a copy of which is in the possession of the news agency KNT, sanction has been accorded for the constitution of a four-member committee to recommend to the Chancellor a panel of not less than four eligible candidates for appointment to the post. The panel is to be submitted by or before May 31, 2026.

The committee will be chaired by Prof. Mohd. Miyan, former Vice Chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad. Other members include Prof. Kumud Sharma, Vice Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University, Wardha, who has been nominated by the University Grants Commission; Prof. Pankaj Chandra, Vice Chancellor of Ahmedabad University and Prof. Subeer S. Majumdar, Director General of Gujarat Biotechnology University, Gandhinagar.

The order further states that Shafqat Iqbal, JKAS, Special Secretary to the Government, Higher Education Department, will provide secretarial assistance to the committee and regularly update the Lieutenant Governor’s Secretariat on the progress made in the selection process.

The constitution of the committee follows communication received from the University Grants Commission in this regard and marks the formal initiation of the process for the appointment of a new Vice Chancellor at the university.

Notably, the tenure of the incumbent Vice Chancellor, Dr Shakeel Romshoo, is scheduled to conclude in August this year. As per the provisions of the University Act, his term is not eligible for further extension. However, he is free to apply afresh for consideration. He had earlier been granted a two-year extension.