Crisis-ridden TISS still awaits director

In the midst of student protests that have continued relentlessly for the last two months, Tata Institute of Social Sciences is also struggling to find a full-time director two months after its former director, Dr S Parasuraman, quit.

The institute released the second advertisement for the post on April 24, and interested candidates can apply upto June 15. The first was in 2017 and interviews for the post were conducted with some candidates being shortlisted. A year after that, the institute's governing board has decided to conduct fresh interviews after not finding a 'suitable candidate'.

"Some shortlisted candidates in the previous round demanded a lot of money which was not affordable to the institute. Now, most senior academicians who are qualified for the post are worried about applying as the institute is in a state of crisis due to the student agitation and issues of fund crunch," said a source from the institute. While American academic Sanjeev Khagram was a front-runner for the post, his appointment did not work out due to some 'technical reasons', according to insiders.

Dr S Parasuraman, who was the institute's director for 14 years retired on February 5, 2018. Dr Shalini Bharat was appointed as acting director. Meanwhile, the three-member independent committee which was formed by the institute's governing board to look into the issue of student fellowships is set to have its first meeting on April 28.