S N Puri is AIU chief
From Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI : Dr S. N. Puri, Vice-Chancellor, Central Agricultural University, Imphal, Manipur has been nominated as President of Association of Indian
Universities for 2012-13.

According to Dr A D N Bajpai, officiating secretary-general of the AIU, the decision was taken at Annual General Body Meeting of the Association held at Kochi on December 17, 2011. Dr Puri was earlier the vice-president of the organisation.

Dr Puri started his career as Assistant Professor of College of Agriculture, Parbhani in Maharashtra in 1973 and rose to the position of Professor of
Entomology in 1979.

He moved to Delhi to take charge of Director, National Centre for Integrated Pest Management (ICAR) New Delhi in 1995 before joining as Vice-Chancellor of
Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri, Maharashtra in May 1999. After working for two terms, he moved to Central Agricultural University, Imphal in 2004 as
Vice-Chancellor.

Presently he is working there for the second term. He brings rich experience of working in different capacities in educational institutions. For his research
contributions, he has been honoured by the I.C.A.R. with the Team Research Award in 2002.

Under his guidance Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth made all round progress and received Sardar Patel ICAR award for Best Agricultural University in The
Central Agricultural University, Imphal has its jurisdiction over six states of N.E. Hill region.

The University is progressing fast during last five years and students from the North East graduating from this University have shown excellent performance
all over the country.

On the basis of the performance in I.C.A.R.’s J.R.F. examination in 2011, the university is ranked at second position amongst the Agricultural Universities in India.

For his contribution in the development of agricultural education in the North Eastern Region, he was awarded Academic Leadership Award by Agriculture Today in 2010. He will assume the office of President, Association of Indian Universities on July 1, 2012.

By Rajiv Shukla
SHIMLA : The two-day North Zone vice-chancellors was opened here by the Himachal Pradesh Governor-Chancellor Urmila Singh on September 30 at a solemn function at the historic Hotel Peterhoff.

In her brief but pertinent inaugural address she stressed the need for maintaining a high standard of education so that students could undertake their academic pursuits in a congenial atmosphere.

She urged the VCs to play a pro-active role in ensuring quality education at all seats of learning. She also urged them to focus on research activities for enriching higher education.

Speaking on the occasion Himachal Education Minister I D Dhiman said that he was "overwhelmed by the gracious presence of so many vice-chancellors" and hoped the two-day conference would draw to a beneficial conclusion.

Earlier the VC and other delegates were welcomed by Himachal Pradesh University vice-chancellor Dr A D N Bajpai who informed the audience that the very first conference of the Vice Chancellors was, incidentally, convened by Lord Reading, the then Viceroy of India at Shimla in 1924.

AIU President Dr P T Chande briefed the audience about the AIU and lauded the Dr Bajpai's guts to choose the topic "Traditional Knowledge System of India" for discussion at the two-day conference.

Nearly 30 vice-chancellors attended the conference, though attendance was visibly low from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.  

The Chancellor released the AIU newsletter, HPU Newsletter, the Tourism Development Journal and the Indian Journal of Dental Science on the occasion.

The two-day conference concluded on October 1 with what the organisers called "Shimla resolution" that sounded more like 10 commandments of the AIU.

On the concluding day the governing members of the AIU held a quick meeting to address some key issues, including the fate of its Secretary General Ms Bina Shah who has been sent on leave pending an inquiry.