11 Tamil Nadu universities without V-Cs to get senior professors to oversee administration: Higher Education Minister

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P. Viswanathan, Minister for Higher Education, visits stalls after inaugurating the two-day Edu Techn Expo organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Chennai | Photo Credit: B. Velankanni Raj

Eleven State universities without Vice-Chancellors will soon have senior professors overseeing their administration, Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister P. Viswanathan said on Thursday (September 24, 2026).

Speaking to reporters after inaugurating the two-day Edu Techn Expo organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Chennai, Mr. Viswanathan said convenor committees functioning in 13 State universities would obtain a panel of senior professors from the respective Syndicates and select one professor to act as the Vice-Chancellors in-charge with the necessary powers.

The process had been completed at Manonmaniam Sundaranar University and Alagappa University, and the remaining 11 universities would follow the same procedure, he said.

On the appointment of Vice-Chancellors, Mr. Viswanathan said the matter was pending before the High Court and the Supreme Court and therefore could not be discussed.

The two-day expo features innovative products and technologies from participating institutions and is aimed at providing students from engineering, polytechnic, and arts and science colleges exposure to emerging technologies and industry requirements.

Mr. Viswanathan also said the State was planning to establish a specialised university focusing on emerging technologies and their applications in higher education and research. Artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, advanced technologies, climate technologies, and space technologies were among the areas that would receive attention.

Asked about the proposed ₹4,000 incentive for educated youth, Mr. Viswanathan said the government had completed only 127 days in office and had a long way to go. The government would implement schemes systematically he said.

The Minister also released a CII-KPMG white paper, ‘Closing the Employability Gap: Role of Technology in Building the Academia-Industry Bridge in Indian Higher Education,’ at the expo. The report examines how technology can help bridge the gap between higher education and employment by strengthening industry-academia linkages, improving access to labour-market intelligence, and helping employers assess workforce capabilities.

The white paper was released in the presence of Dheeraj Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Higher Education Department; P. Ravichandran, chairman, CII Southern Region and president, Danfoss India; G.V. Selvam, vice-president, VIT; Nandini R., founder-trustee, GRG Educational Institutions; and Valerii Khodzhaev, Consul General of the Russian Federation in Chennai.

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