UGC Asks Universities to Adopt ‘Professors of Practice’ Guidelines

The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Monday, in its recent notice has requested all higher education institutions in the nation take the required steps to hire professionals and industry leaders as “professors of practise” at their individual schools.

The draught criteria for hiring “professors of practise” in universities and colleges were approved by the agency overseeing higher education in August. The guidelines state that distinguished experts who have made outstanding contributions to their professions in a variety of fields, such as engineering, science, and technology, entrepreneurship, business, social sciences, media, literature, fine arts, civil services, armed forces, legal profession, and public administration, among others, are eligible to be employed as “professors of practise.”

In a letter addressed to the vice chancellors of all universities and principals of all colleges, UGC on Monday said, “One of the recommendations of National Education Policy 2020 is to impart holistic and multidisciplinary education in higher educational institutions. This may require the participation of experienced practitioners/professionals/industry experts etc. in the teaching-learning process. To enable HEIs to hire professional experts the UGC has created a new position called “Professor of Practice” and already published the guidelines for engaging Professor of Practice. Guidelines for engaging Professor of Practice.”

“Vice-Chancellors of Universities and Principals of Colleges are requested to initiate steps to make necessary changes in their statutes/ordinances/rules/regulations to enable the engagement of Professor of Practice in their institutions and an action taken in the matter to be uploaded in the university activity monitoring portal of UGC,” the commission said.

According to the regulations, a “professor of practise” may serve at a given institution for a maximum of three years, with the possibility of an additional year in extraordinary circumstances. Under no circumstances may the total length of service exceed four years.

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