-to give public lectures
Four applicants, including three Guyanese from the Diaspora, and a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, have been shortlisted to be interviewed for the vacant post of Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana (UG).
But the selection process has already upset members of the academic community, who say that a previous shortlist of candidates was tossed.
According to a press statement issued yesterday by the UG Public Relations Depart-ment, the candidates are expected in the country from November 20 to December 4 for the assessment of their candidature for the position, which it dubbed the most elaborate and transparent process that the university, in its history of 49 years, has ever undertaken in the selection of any of its officers.
A formal interview session will be conducted by a five-member panel, comprising members of the Council of the University, inclusive of representatives of the Education Ministry, the major political parties, the academic community and the Students’ Society.
In addition, each candidate is expected to have an interactive meeting with the joint University Council and Academic Board of the institution. Meetings will also be held with the Berbice campus community and the Executive of the UG Students’ Society. At these sessions, each candidate is expected to give a short presentation to make a case for their appointment as Vice-Chancellor, the release stated.
Each candidate will also have to give a public lecture on a topic of his choice, which are now scheduled for Thursday, November 22, Monday, November 26, Tuesday, November 27, and Thursday, November 29, at the Education Lecture Theatre, at the Turkeyen Campus.
It is anticipated that the university will be announcing the appointment of its new Vice-Chancellor in time for the commencement of the Second Semester, which begins on January 28, 2013.
But when Stabroek News yesterday spoke to a member of one of the unions that has been making representations for several issues affecting the university, it was told that the academic community has much to say about the selection.
The union member, who preferred to remain unnamed, said that candidates were already shortlisted for the position by but this was “thrown in the trash” by the council who subsequently created a new list. It was emphasised that the academic staff is unhappy with the current process.
The Vice-Chancellor post was formerly held by Profes-sor Lawrence Carrington and became vacant on April 1 this year. Candidates for this position are required to be of high academic standing and have experience in university administration.
“They should have the credibility to lead an academic community and to work effectively with the university’s many stakeholders. They should demonstrate knowledge of the issues pertinent to higher education in a developing country such as Guyana and should evince capability of providing leadership in the development and delivery of tertiary level curricula relevant to the needs of the country,” an advertisement put out by UG earlier this year said.
