Bhubaneswar, March 18: The race for the post of Utkal University’s vice-chancellor is heating up.

More than 100 academicians from across the country have applied for the prestigious post. Among them are around 20 professors of Utkal University. Besides Utkal University, the North Orissa University and Fakir Mohan University would also be getting new vice-chancellors.

Sources said after advertisement for the Utkal University vice-chancellor’s post was issued on February 27, applications have been received from academicians from Jawaharlal University, Central University, Hyderabad and Delhi University. “We had not expected so many eminent academicians to apply,” said a senior official.

But most of Utkal University’s academics feel that the chancellor should favour someone from within the university. Some professors, on the condition of anonymity, said an eminent academician from the university with experience in administrations and students’ welfare, should be given the job.

A committee including former chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) P.C. Hota, governor’s representative Srinibas Sahu and professor P.N. Verghese has been constituted to select the new vice-chancellor. “The committee will suggest probable names to the chancellor and governor M.C. Bhandare. The governor will take the final call,” said Parag Gupta, secretary to the governor. Sources said the search committee would sit for two days on March 21 and March 22 to shortlist three names for the post. Later, the governor would interview the candidates and finalise the selection.

Besides Utkal University, the chancellor would also appoint vice-chancellors for North Orissa University and Fakir Mohan University. Following the recommendation of the search committee for the North Orissa University, the governor has already interviewed the existing vice-chancellor of the university, Siba Prasad Rath, S. Dutta of the same university and Sanghamitra Mohanty, head of the computer science department of Utkal University.

“The governor left for Delhi today. He will take a decision on his return,” said an official. Three names have been finalised for the post of the vice-chancellor of Fakir Mohan University. Sources said the search committee has recommended the names of Prasanta Kumar Sahu of Utkal University’s MBA department, Kumarbar Das of Utkal University’s department of economics and Pramod Chandra Mishra of the zoology department of Sambalpur University for the post.

As the chancellor is yet to take a decision, the tenure of the incumbent V-C, Sukanti Priya Patnaik, has been extended.