UGC Secy writes to higher education institutions for guidelines for engaging Professor of Practice in universities, colleges

New Delhi [India], October 1 : University Grant Commission (UGC) Secretary Rajnish Jain on Friday wrote a letter to the Vice Chancellors of Universities, Directors of all institutions and Principle of all colleges for guidelines for engaging Professors of Practice in Universities and College.
In a letter to Higher Education Institutions, UGC Secretary Rajnish Jain said that in the context of holistic and multidisciplinary education, as recommended in the
NEP 2020, it is important for the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to address the
capacity constraints, especially with reference to the integration of general education with vocational education.
"Realizing that the Higher Education Institutions need people with skills and expertise
acquired in non-academic careers, teaching and research, the UGC has taken a
a new initiative of engaging Professor of Practice in HEIs" Jain said in a letters
UGC Secretary Rajnish Jain further said that Vice Chancellors of Universities and Principals of Colleges are requested to take necessary steps to engage Professor of Practice according to the requirement and by following guidelines provided by UGC.
As per Guidelines for engaging Professor of Practice in Universities and College. The engagement of the Professor of Practice will be for a fixed term.
The engagement of the Professor of Practice will be exclusive to the sanctioned posts of a university/college. It will not affect the number of sanctioned posts and the
recruitment of regular faculty members. Professor of Practice is not open for those in the teaching profession- serving or retired.
"It is envisioned that Professor of Practice can be engaged in one of the following categories. Professor of Practice funded by Industries. Professors of Practice are funded by HEIs from their own resources. Professor of Practice on an Honorary basis. Professor of Practice funded by Industries, said the guidelines.
Today's industry looks for graduates with specific skill sets. But the higher education system is churning out graduates who fall short of the required skills. As a result, many industries now hire graduates and provide adequate training before employing them. Involving experts from the industry in teaching will benefit both the industry and the higher educational institutions. Higher education Institutions may collaborate with the industries to support the Professor of Practice positions for engaging industry experts and professionals in this category.
Professors of Practice funded by Higher education Institutions from their own resources and
As per the policy directives of NEP 2020, graduate programmes are revised with a holistic and multidisciplinary approach.
HEIs may assess the required gap areas in different fields and engage experts working in leadership positions in various fields. In this category, the remuneration for the Professor of Practice is made by HEIs from their own resources.
Consolidated amount, mutually agreed between the institution and expert. Professor of Practice on an Honorary basis. Experts fulfilling the eligibility criteria for the Professor of Practice may like to share their expertise with students and come forward to teach on an honorary basis. Such experts may be engaged on the honorary basis as Professor of Practice and their services may be utilized for the benefit of the students.
The HEIs may decide on the amount of honorarium to be paid to the Professor of Practice in this category from their own resources.
The procedure for selecting a Professor of Practice is the Vice-Chancellors/Directors may invite nominations from eminent experts for Professor of Practice positions.
The experts willing to serve may also be nominated or they can send their nominations to
the Vice-Chancellor/Director with detailed biodata and a brief write-up about their
potential contribution to the HEI.
Such nominations will be considered by a selection committee consisting of two senior Professors from the HEI and one eminent external member. Based on the
recommendations of this committee, the Academic Council and the Executive Council or statutory bodies of the HEI will decide on the engagement.
Tenure for Professor of Practice is The engagement may be initially for up to one year. At the end of the initial engagement or subsequent extension, the HEI will make an assessment and take the decision about an extension. The HEI will devise its own assessment procedure for extension based on the contribution and requirement of the experts engaged as Professors of Practice.
The maximum duration of service of a Professor of Practice at a given institution should not exceed three years and is extendable by one year in exceptional cases and the total service should not exceed four years under any circumstances.