The Anna University Teachers’ Association (AUTA) has written to Governor Banwarilal Purohit requesting him to advise the State government against renaming the university.
The State government, through a law passed recently to bifurcate Anna University, has chosen to retain the name for the new institution while changing the name of the existing campus, comprising four institutions, to Anna Technological and Research University.
Students, teachers upset
Taking strong exception to this, the association in its letter said the renaming did not go down well with teachers, alumni and students as all their credentials such as ranking, journal papers, patents and memorandum of understandings were in the name of Anna University.
“We get an ill-feeling of our intellectual properties being robbed,” the letter stated.
“For 42 years, College of Engineering, Guindy (CEG), Madras Institute of Technology, Alagappa College of Technology and School of Architecture and Planning have gained their reputations as Anna University,” AUTA said.
It said the word “research” was redundant for a university’s name and said the academic reach of the proposed unitary university, existing in the name of Anna University, had gone well beyond technology and into physics, chemistry, mathematics, English and media studies.
Multidisciplinary role
It already adopts a multidisciplinary approach mandated by the new National Education Policy, the letter said.
“Hence, inserting the word ‘technological’ was uncalled for,” it added.
Stating that it was wise convention to retain the name of old university and give another name to the newly created one, it appealed to the Governor to advise the State government to amend the law accordingly.
