Pune: The Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) administration has decided to fast-track long-pending recruitments and key academic appointments and announced that 111 faculty vacancies would be filled by June.Vice-chancellor Suresh Gosavi said during the budget senate that the recruitment process for professors and associate professors would begin with interviews in May and conclude by June. “Recruitments for 111 posts are planned by June in a long-awaited momentum to the process,” he said.The university has also set a deadline of April 30 to complete the appointment of deans across faculties. Interviews for constitutional posts were expected to be completed by April 5, while the position of the director of the board of examinations and evaluation would also be filled on a full-time basis soon.Several key academic and administrative posts at SPPU have remained vacant for years. Repeated concerns were raised in senate meetings over the adverse impact on teaching quality, research output and decision-making. The administration was under immense pressure to address the backlog.Meanwhile, Gosavi highlighted upcoming academic initiatives and said the university was planning to introduce a liberal arts programme under the Indian Academia initiative in collaboration with five universities across the country. SPPU would also implement the Professor of Practice concept to strengthen industry-academia linkages and invite CEOs and industry leaders to contribute to teaching.“Additionally, efforts are underway to boost research output through international collaborations. Faculty exchange programmes with global universities are being planned for durations ranging from two to eight weeks. International visiting faculty schemes will also be introduced to enhance teaching quality and expand course offerings,” he said.At the departmental level, new schemes would be rolled out to encourage research funding, publications and patents. Under the departmental research development programme, financial assistance ranging from Rs2 lakh to Rs10 lakh would be provided for research projects.The university has even decided to appoint retired officials in key roles to improve administrative efficiency. “These measures are aimed to ensure faster decisions and sustained institutional growth,” Gosavi added.
