National Times Bureau :- In a major decision announced on Punjab Day, the Central Government has dissolved Panjab University’s (PU) 59-year-old Senate and Syndicate, bringing a complete change to the way the university is governed. The Syndicate, which earlier had elected members, will now be fully nominated — marking a clear shift from political influence to academic control.
Panjab University, founded in Lahore in 1882 and re-established in Chandigarh in 1966, has seen its biggest administrative change in decades. The new structure, notified under the PU Act, 1947, ends the Graduate constituency and reduces the Senate’s size from 90 to just 31 members. These will now include 18 elected, six nominated, and seven ex-officio members.
For the first time, top officials such as the Chandigarh MP, the UT Chief Secretary, and the Education Secretary have been added as ex-officio members, along with senior Punjab government officers.
The new Act also redefines the category of Ordinary Fellows, limiting their number to 24. This group will now include two well-known PU alumni nominated by the Chancellor, two professors (one each from Arts and Science), two associate or assistant professors, four college principals, six college teachers, and two Punjab MLAs nominated by the Speaker. The remaining members will be chosen by the Chancellor from people who have made important contributions to education or research.
All elections for these members will need the Chancellor’s approval, and each term will last four years. If any member loses their qualifying position — like no longer being a professor or principal — they will automatically lose their seat. The Vice Chancellor will have the final say in any dispute about eligibility.
The Syndicate, which acts as the university’s executive body, has also been completely changed. It will now be headed by the Vice Chancellor and include senior officials from the Union Education Ministry, Punjab government, and Chandigarh Administration. Ten members will be nominated by the VC on a rotational basis from deans, professors, and principals.
The Syndicate will also have the power to delegate its work to the VC or other committees. Its ex-officio members now include the Punjab Chief Minister, Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Punjab Education Minister, Chandigarh Chief Secretary, and the Chandigarh MP — making it one of the most powerful governing bodies in any Indian university.
According to officials, these reforms were made by the Union Ministry of Education after recommendations from a committee formed in 2021 by then Vice President and PU Chancellor M. Venkaiah Naidu. The committee — which included the Vice Chancellors of PU, Central University of Punjab, and Guru Nanak Dev University, along with former MP Satya Pal Jain — submitted its report in 2022. The new structure follows those recommendations closely.
The term of the old Senate ended in October last year, and the reconstitution was pending until the appointment of the new PU Chancellor, Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan, who approved the final changes in September this year. This marks a new phase in the 142-year-old history of Panjab University.
