Chandigarh: V-P to delay his maiden visit to PU by a month
The V-P, who was earlier invited for the Global Alumni Meet scheduled to be held on November 1, has conveyed to PU that he will be unable to join the meet and asked the PU authorities to hold its convocation in the month of December and assured his visit to the university at that time
Newly appointed Vice-President of India CP Radhakrishnan, who is also the Chancellor of Panjab University (PU), is set to delay his maiden visit to PU by a month.
The V-P, who was earlier invited for the Global Alumni Meet scheduled to be held on November 1, has conveyed to PU that he will be unable to join the meet and asked the PU authorities to hold its convocation in the month of December and assured his visit to the university at that time.
The Global Alumni Meet was strengthened by former V-P Jagadeep Dhankhar who had attended this event in 2022, 2023 and 2024. The event would draw various prominent alumni of the university who also contributed in crores towards the varsity.
However, the new V-P who was invited for the meet has turned down the invite, but asked PU to proceed with the meet, calling it important to connect with the alumni. In 2023, Arun Verma, a 1966-batch alumnus, made the biggest ever contribution, donating ₹3.5 crore to establish a pilot lab at Dr SS Bhatnagar University Institute of Chemical Engineering & Technology.
Confirming rescheduling of the convocation, PU vice-chancellor Renu Vig said that the convocation is usually held in March but they will hold it earlier this year. “The V-P wanted to hold it within the calendar year. This year we have chosen December while from next year onwards it will be held around October or November. Other institutes of the region including Punjab Engineering College (PEC) also hold their convocations within the academic year.”
An official said it will be hard to make the arrangements at such short notice and to send out the invites to all toppers and students who will be awarded with their PhDs.
A meeting to inform chairpersons of all teaching departments was organised at the Senate Hall on Wednesday evening. Suggesting ways to improve the university’s recent rankings, the V-C stressed the need for timely submission of accurate data and strategic planning to further improve PU’s position in national and international rankings. She emphasised that each department must periodically evaluate its progress and scores compared to other institutions and work towards measurable improvements through collective effort and innovation.
Internal Quality Assessment Cell director Sonal Singhal also suggested practical measures to enhance PU’s global and national reputation. Dean alumni relations Latika Sharma also briefed the attendants regarding all the preparations for the upcoming Global Alumni Meet.
Vig also called upon all departments to initiate awareness campaigns on the menace of drugs and to involve students in activities promoting mental health, the ‘Say No to Drugs’ movement, and the ‘Viksit Bharat’ mission.
Vig also advised university departments to keep their departmental libraries open from 9 am to 9 pm during the examination period so that students can make better use of books, reference materials, and reading room facilities.
