Vasanthi Arasaratnam becomes Vice Chancellor, Jaffna University

[TamilNet, Thursday, 31 March 2011, 01:24 GMT]
Senior Professor of the Medical Faculty of the University of Jaffna, Ms.Vasanthi Arasaratnam has been appointed as the new Vice Chancellor of the University of Jaffna with effect from 28th March. She gets the rare distinction of being the first woman Vice Chancellor of the university. Prof. Arasaratnam earlier served as the Dean of the Medical Faculty. She secured the highest number of preferential votes of the university council among the three nominated to the post a few months ago.

Prof. Arasaratnam succeeds Prof. N. Shanmugalingan of the Sociology department who held the post for the past three years.

Prof. Arasarstnam is well recognized for her steadfast attachment to the university throughout its difficult years and for her progressive views about gender and society.

Meanwhile, another council nominee for the post of the Vice Chancellor, Prof Ratnajeevan Hoole, who recently returned from the USA, has been given an assignment and an office in the University of Jaffna to plan and build a new Engineering Faculty for the university, academic circles in the university said.