Vice-Chancellor comes to rescue of student, writes personal letter to US university

NAGPUR: After TOI report, Nagpur University vice-chancellor SP Kane, handed over a letter to Urvashi Dhoot, studying in University of Southern California (USC) in USA, where he personally took responsibility of providing degree to her. It’s perhaps for the first time in Nagpur University, any such official letter was handed over by a VC, to a foreign institution while personally giving a guarantee of provisional degree provided by NU.
“Since it was a question of not only loss of her precious academic year, but also of huge money paid towards fees, I provided her a letter to be given to the US university. I’ve guaranteed them about genuineness of our provisional degree and also assured them that original certificate would be provided before December 15 in any condition,” Kane told TOI.
He explained practical difficulties faced by NU while handing over the original degree certificate before the convocation, in the letter. “I told her relatives, that I can do this much and can’t go against the law,” he said.
TOI on September 29, reported that students pursuing postgraduation abroad, are in real trouble, as NU failed to conduct its 103rd convocation ceremony in absence of statutory bodies like Academic and Management Councils and Senate. As per Maharashtra Universities Act, 1994, degrees can’t be conferred without deans of respective faculties.
Urvashi’s city-based relative Pawan Sarda said the move came after TOI report and also getting a rap from chancellor Ch Vidyasagar Rao’s undersecretary. “We dispatched that letter to the USC and they granted extension till December 15 after much persuasion. But they made it clear that it would be her last chance.”
Sarda further pointed out that Urvashi was asked by her USC administration, as to why she made the fuss out of the issue by approaching the media. “The college officials somehow read the TOI report online, as name of their university featured in it. They presented its printed copy to the administration. Urvashi explained them the reason behind it. After that, they mellowed down a bit and considered the VC’s personal letter for granting extension in time till December. Else, she would have not only lost her admission, but also Rs70 lakh fees paid to them for pursuing the course,” he said.
Sarda blamed the NU administration for creating mess and playing with the students’ future. “From July I have been requesting the NU officials for providing respite to the girl. I approached TOI only after getting frustrated. I have been doing numerous rounds of the NU officials in this regard,” he said.
Earlier, the VC categorically denied conducting convocation before October 15, to enable students abroad to submit their original degree certificate. He however, stated that they were planning to hold it in December first week, but there was no concrete proposal regarding that. He also expressed inability to help the aggrieved students stating that they can’t distribute degrees without valid convocation. “We offer provisional degrees to such students and it was accepted by foreign universities, as it carries a proper seal. This is just a one-off case, where the foreign institution didn’t consider provisional degree,” Kane told TOI.
The parents like Sarda and others are however disappointed over the move stating that, if foreign universities failed to accept provisional degrees, the future of their wards would be in a jeopardy.