Alok Kumar Rai, vice-chancellor of the University of Lucknow, will be the next director of IIM Calcutta.
President Droupadi Murmu, Visitor of the IIMs, approved Rai’s name for director of the B-school, two officials of IIM-C told this newspaper.
Rai comes from a non-IIM background. A section of academics expressed concern about a non-IIM professor being appointed director.
Before the University of Lucknow, Rai served as a professor of management at Banaras Hindu University. The academic circle considers Rai to be close to Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel.
IIM-C has not had a regular full-term director for nearly two years. The Union ministry of education, which coordinates between the institute and the Visitor, has communicated Murmu’s approval to IIM-C chairperson Shrikrishna Kulkarni, who will issue the appointment letter.
Academics, including from IIMs, said a candidate appointed director at an IIM should be from an institution of similar or higher profile.
“The usual practice has been to appoint professors from IIMs or institutions of higher profile as directors in recent years. IIM-C has never had a professor or VC from a conventional university as director,” said an IIM-C faculty member.
Rajeev Kumar, former professor at IIT Kharagpur, said faculty members from institutions of higher profile, when appointed to leadership positions, bring greater vision and expertise.
“Practically, for ensuring an institution’s growth, its leaders should have their academic and professional profiles from superior institutions. This practice is followed globally by the best institutions,” he said.
The institute had set up a search committee, which suggested a panel of names last year. The ministry of education rejected it in May this year. The ministry then asked the committee to suggest another panel of possible candidates — Rai’s name was recommended in the second panel, IIM-C sources said.
An IIM-C alumnus said the functioning of an IIM was completely different from that of universities.
“Universities are keen to follow directives of the government and the University Grants Commission (UGC) without questioning. They do not question government policy even though such policy may not be in the interest of institutions. Academic leaders with strong profiles have the ability to question the government and carve a path for institutional growth,” he said.
Rai declined to comment on the observations.
“It would not be proper for me to comment on such a thing. I have not received any information about my appointment,” Rai told this newspaper.
In the last seven years, the institute had two regular directors, both of whom resigned around two years after taking charge. Anju Seth, who resigned in 2021, had complained of interference by the board of governors in the day-to-day functioning of the institute.