PU appoints Profs of Practice to tackle shortage of faculty

Chandigarh: Panjab University (PU) has begun appointing Professors of Practice across departments as part of a strategy to address faculty shortages and strengthen practitioner-led teaching, Vice-chancellor Renu Vig said Tuesday. She said the university is leveraging UGC norms, which allow up to 10% of sanctioned faculty strength in a department to be appointed under this category.The move comes amid a severe staff crunch at PU, which is operating with barely 50% of its sanctioned regular faculty strength, impacting teaching loads, course offerings, and academic mentoring.
"We are appointing Professors of Practice proactively wherever departments see value in bringing in experienced practitioners," Prof Vig said, adding, "UGC guidelines permit up to 10% of sanctioned strength, and we are making use of that provision in a structured manner."As part of this push, PU has cleared multiple appointments across disciplines. In chemical engineering and nanotechnology, four professors of practice have joined, while one appointment was finalised in the University Institute of Chemical Engineering and Technology's Centre for Industry Linkages. Two high-profile appointments were made in the department of English and cultural studies — poet-lyricist Irshad Kamil and poet-editor Sudeep Sen.Officials said these appointments aim to integrate contemporary creative practice with classroom teaching. Kamil's association followed his recent visit for the 3rd Professor Urmi Kessar Memorial Lecture, which sparked discussions on formal engagement. "During his last visit, I personally asked Irshad Kamil whether he would like to formally associate with the university," Prof Vig said, adding, "He was more than glad to contribute, and we began working on the formalities."Kamil, an alumnus who studied journalism and Hindi at PU and later completed his PhD, is expected to strengthen teaching and workshops in creative writing, poetry, and cultural studies. Sen's appointment was recommended by the English department for his work in poetry, translation, and editing.Under the UGC framework, Professors of Practice are engaged on contractual terms, paid per lecture or per day, and not appointed as full-time regular faculty. Departments will schedule lectures, short modules, workshops, and interaction-based courses for them.Senior officials clarified that these appointments are not a substitute for regular recruitment but a parallel mechanism to bridge gaps and enrich teaching with real-world experience. Both English department appointees will begin academic engagement in the upcoming cycle, while engineering appointments will be phased in over the next few months.