Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit is an Indian professor who became the first female chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, on February 7, 2022.
Wiki/Biography
Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit was born on Sunday, July 15, 1962, in Saint Petersburg, Russia (formerly Leningrad, USSR) (age 59 in 2021). After matriculating in 1978, she received her high school education from PN Dhawan Adarsh Vidyalaya Matric High School, Madras (Chennai), Tamil Nadu. She won the title of best all-around student (1978-1980). She passed her Std XII examination with distinction in 1980 and subsequently pursued a Diploma in Social Work at the Summer School at California State University, Long Beach, USA. She received her BA in History and Social Psychology from Presidency College, Madras in 1983; she received three gold medals and two BA first-place awards. During her school and college years, she won several prizes in debating, quizzes and oratory competitions at regional, national and international levels. In 1985, she received a master’s degree in political science from Presidency College; she secured second place in the university. From 1985 to 1988, she conducted research on a University Grants Commission scholarship. In 1986, she passed UGC-NET/JRF/SRF. Thereafter, she obtained a PhD in International Relations from the Indian School of International Relations (now School of International Relations), Jinan University, New Delhi, in 1986. She received an A in her doctoral preparatory course and won first place with a score of 83.4%. When she received her doctorate in international relations from the Indian School of International Relations at Jinan University, she wrote the thesis “India’s Parliament and Foreign Policy—The Nehru Era.” In 1996, she received a Postdoctoral Diploma in Peace and Conflict Studies from Uppsala University, Sweden.
family
Parents and siblings
Her father, Dr. Dhulipudi Anjaneyulu, is a retired civil servant, author and journalist. Her mother, Mulamoodi Adilakshmi, was a professor of Tamil and Telugu at the Department of Oriental Academy in Leningrad (USSR).
husband and children
Her husband Niranjan B. Pandit is a senior SAP consultant. Together they have a daughter.
Profession
Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit started her teaching career in 1988 when she started working as a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, University of Goa. In 1992, she became a senior lecturer in politics and public administration at the University of Pune. On February 7, 2022, Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit was appointed as the Thirteenth Vice President of Jinan University after President Ram Nath Kovind approved the appointment. Principal, succeeding M Jagadesh Kumar for a term of five years. M Jagadesh Kumar’s five-year VC tenure at Jinan University ended in 2021 and he became the chairman of higher education regulator UGC (University Grants Commission). The prominence behind Santishree’s appointment as vice-chancellor is that she becomes the first woman to be appointed vice-chancellor of this prestigious university. Before becoming the Vice-Chancellor of Jinan University, Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit served as Professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Savitribai Phule Pune University. She has served as an external examiner for Master’s and PhD theses in various reputed colleges and universities in India. As of 2021, in addition to 8 master’s theses, 23 students have submitted doctoral theses under her supervision. In addition to writing books, Pandit has published more than 170 research papers and articles in numerous reputed journals in the fields of political science and foreign policy.
Teaching and research experience
- Served as a member of the Advisory Board of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (1985-1990)
- Member, Political Science Research Committee, University of Goa (2006-2009)
- Member of Global India Foundation (2005-2011)
- Member, Governing Council, Center for Investigations, Hyderabad (2006)
- Member, UGC Higher Education and Indicators Committee – Eleventh Plan (2006-2008)
- Member of the National Social Science Forum (2008-2010)
- Member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Radical Humanists (2009-2012)
- Member, Executive Committee, Indian Association for American Studies (IAAS) (2010-2013)
- Political Science – UG and PG Research Committee Member, Osmania University (2011-2014)
- Member, Academic Council, Rakshashakti University, Gujarat (2014)
- Member, Learning and Research Committee, University of Madras (2014-2017)
- Member, Political Science Research Committee, University of Goa (2015-2017)
books written
- Parliament and Foreign Policy in India (1990)
- Ethnicity and Nationalism in the Quest for Nation-Building, Yerevan: University of Armenia Press (1996)
- Globalization, Security Technologies and Conflict in South Asia, Colombo, RCSS (2000)
- Environmental Governance in Asia – Ethics and Policy (2003)
dispute
- Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, known for her close ties with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), sparked controversy on January 29, 2020, when she posted a tweet targeting Muslim students at Jinan University. In the tweet, she recalled her days as a student at university, targeting men with beards and girls wearing headscarves, calling them jihadists, or Islamic militants.
Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit’s tweets against Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Muslim students
Tweet by Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit on January 29, 2020, targeting Muslim students at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)
- In March 2020, she expressed her hatred of Muslims through a tweet in which she mentioned a study showing a link between Covid-19 infection and testicular damage and infertility in men.
Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit’s tweet refers to study showing link between Covid-19 infection and testicular damage and infertility among Muslims
- In December 2020, when the Sikh community expressed solidarity with Muslims by offering namaz to them during the 2020-2021 farmers’ protests in India, Pandit took to her Twitter account to express her Hindu right-wing political views, casting the event Tagged ‘Jihadi Khalistani Alliance’ .’
Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit tweets in support of Sikhs providing namaz to Muslims during farmers’ protests in India 2020-2021
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- Cardoza Award, Presidency College, Madras (1980-81)
- Elphinstone Award, 1980-81; 1981-82; 1982-83; 1983-84; 1984-85, Presidency College, Madras
- Scott Lecture Award, 1980-81; 1981-82; 1982-83; 1983-84; 1984-85, Presidency College, Madras
- National Hindi Scholarship (1980-1983)
- National Scholarship (1983-1985)
- Tamil Nadu Government Scholarship (1985-1986)
- Scholarship at Uppsala University, Sweden (1996)
- Research Fellow, Center for South Asian Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Salzburg Seminar Scholarship, Austria (1998)
- Women Educationalist Award, Youth Forum for Gandhian Studies, Chennai 2003
- Wisetex Women’s Leadership Award for the Next Decade in the Education category (2004)
- Veer Savarkar Award, Pune (2010)
Facts/Trivia
- She is fluent in six languages: Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Hindi, Sanskrit and English. She can also understand Kananda, Malayalam and Konkani.
- She set a record for winning the most Elphinstone Awards during college; she won the award for five consecutive years.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education