Pune, April 22: Vice-Chancellor of Pune University Dr Arun Nigavekar is busy completing his homework these days. Even if the academician is on home turf, Nigavekar is engaged in renewing old ties, meeting old and new faces in the University and even candidly accepting the resignation of the director of Board of College and University Development (BCUD).BCUD director Dr M N Palsane had been appointed by the former V-C Dr Vasant Gowariker for a three-year term ending July this year. However Palsane (who had retired as a professor before he was nominated by Gowariker) resigned a few days ago. When contacted, Nigavekar lauded the work Palsane had done and said he had accepted the resignation.Nigavekar admitting that he is no hurry to make fresh appointments including that of the next pro-vice-chancellor. The post had fallen vacant after Dr B D Chaure's term as PVC ended. While the acting registrar Dr Arun Adsool's term also ends on April 28, it is likely that the management council meeting on April 27 willclear the new advertisement inviting applications for the Registrar's post.``I also intend to take several policy decisions and will announce it during the Academic Council meeting,'' Nigavekar said. Even as the meeting of the 120-member strong academic council gets underway on April 22 and 23, the lengthy agenda has several pending local inquiry committee reports waiting to be cleared and new syllabi of various courses to be approved.The University has also received an application from Symbiosis Society for a `no objection certificate' for its proposed plan of acquiring a deemed University status. Several new courses including M Ch Paediatric Surgery and certificate and diploma courses in health and environment will come up for approval.Health and environment being critical issues, several new programmes and syllabus has been proposed for the M Sc course in Health Sciences apart from sensitising students by introducing certificate and diploma courses in child health and ageing, community health andgender issues. The revised syllabi of several degree courses including TYBA - geography, TY B Sc - maths, bio-technology, FY B Sc - zoology, SYBA- economics and others will be placed for approval at the academic council meeting.The Medical Council of India's new regulations regarding graduate medical education has also proposed an internal assessment scheme which will be taken up for the academic council approval while the recommendation of approving the ENT department of the Armed Forces Medical College as a post-graduate research centre will also be tabled.
