Mysore University is the “home” for producing many a vice chancellor who has occupied the chair in various universities in the State and across the country. Among them is the recently appointed vice chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, Prof K C Belliappa.
He spoke to Deccan Herald’s N Niranjan Nikam in this interview on the challenges he has faced so far, the vision he has for the university and the way to take it forward.
It is five months since you took over as the vice chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh. What is the feeling like?
Honestly, the feeling is great because getting the job of a vice chancellor came to me as a real surprise. It is a different ball game altogether from being a teacher to a VC. One thing that stood me in good stead was working as a deputy registrar of Mysore University which gave me an insight into the working of university administration.
When VCs are appointed especially in Karnataka, they are mostly home grown. What difference do you find being in the Central university?
A world of difference. There are over 280 state universities in the country. There are only 22 central universities. My university being the19th. The latest is CIEFL, Hyderabad.  In terms of financial resources the central universities are far better off than state universities. Once you have the resources, you can plan and if you have a vision it is possible to realise it.
Arunachal Pradesh is sparsely populated with just 11 lakh people which accounts for a mere 0.11 pc of the country’s population. What are your plans regarding attracting talents and students?
As a VC of a university I can only contribute to higher education in the state. For instance there are only eight colleges in the state while it has 16 districts. In April this year, there was a conference of education ministers addressed by the Prime Minister when he said that every district in the country must have a college and every state a central university. Just imagine, the present government in Karnataka has opened nearly 130 first grade colleges this year. We have a long way to go.
You have a proposal for the XI plan to the UGC projecting it as a residential university. What do you mean by this?
KCB:Given the size of the state and the landscape, I personally feel that I should project it as a residential university. I foresee a university wherein all the teachers, the non- teaching staff and students from far off places live together. Rono Hills is a university township with an area of 305 acres. It is on a hill that is completely isolated. It is a world in itself. Hence I project RGU as a fully residential university.
As a matter of fact we approached the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for a special grant for a 100-room boys and girls hostels. As you know 65 pc of the population of Arunachal Pradesh consists of Scheduled Tribes. There are 25 major tribes and over 100 smaller tribes. The other 35 pc constitute migrants to Arunachal Pradesh.
What is the challenge of running such a small university?
The total number of students including M Phil and Ph Ds in the campus is 850 and we have only 15 departments. However, we have plans to establish seven new departments during the eleventh plan period. Among the new departments that are planned, I am particularly excited about introducing bio-technology and bio-infomatics. Incidentally we have a centre for bio-diversity funded by UGC which has given a grant of Rs 3 crore. It has been recognised as a centre with potential for excellence.
Are you planning to attract students from other parts of India and abroad to RGU?
That is a difficult question to answer, for the State of Arunachal has stringent laws regarding entry of outsiders into the state. If you want to come to my state you need an inland land permit. I was given the permit at Guwahati airport when I proceeded to Rono Hills to assume charge as VC. No outsider can buy a piece of land in Arunachal Pradesh.
But I am hopeful of pursuading the government to relax the existing rules so that outsiders can come to the university to pursue their academic interest. For instance the Arunachal Institute of Tribal Studies has done extensive work in the area of anthropological studies and I want it to be the premium institute in the entire north-east.
How good is your teaching faculty?
The university was established in 1984 and was made into a central university.  I am very proud of my teaching faculty who are all extremely articulate and the mean average is extremely high in terms of scholarship and the ability to impart instructions to the students. I am afraid I can’t say this of many universities in the
country.