Chennai: Faculty not for renaming of Anna University

CHENNAI: Academics and its own faculty are against the move to rename Anna University, saying the institution stands to lose its identity built up over four decades.
The state higher education department proposes to change the university's name to Anna Institute of Eminence after getting the ‘institute of excellence’ status from the Centre. Anna University and its four campuses are to be known as Anna Institute of Eminence.A new technical university with affiliating powers will be known as Anna University.
Institute of Eminence status is meant for only five years. How can that be part of the university’s name, asked professors.
“When there is no bar on the university affiliating engineering colleges even after getting IoE status, the state government wants to bifurcate the university. We are not opposing the bifurcation. If the government wanted to favour the private engineering colleges by creating a new technical university, they should find a new name for the new university,” professors said.
In a letter to chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, Anna University Teachers Association urged him to retain the name Anna University for its four campuses. “The brand name Anna University is already well established in regional, national and global academic societies. Numerous global rankings and accreditations are in the name of Anna University,” AUTA said in the letter.
“Any rebranding of the university results in automatic loss of our hard-earned brand value besides losing our established identity, and reputation in the academic world. The name Anna University has so far helped us to grow to this great level,” the letter said.
M Anandakrishnan, former vice-chancellor, said the university was formed with four campuses — College of Engineering, Guindy (CEG), Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), Chrompet, Alagappa College of Technology (AC Tech) and School of Architecture and Planning (SAP).
“The university’s name should not be changed . There is no link between giving IoE status and changing the name of the institution,” Anandakrishnan said.
“Institute of Eminence is a status or recognition for a time-bound period, it is not a name. It should not be part of the name of the university and Anna University should remain Anna University,” said E Balagurusamy, former vice-chancellor of Anna University.
“Anna University was formed with only four campuses to start with and affiliated colleges came under it much later. Now, you cannot take away the name that originally applied to only these four campuses,” said M K Surappa, vice-chancellor of Anna University.