Bhubaneswar: Breaking the century-old glass ceiling, Odisha-born Naima Khatoon has been appointed as the first vice-chancellor of the prestigious Aligarh Muslim University. Her appointment was approved by the President of India Droupadi Murmu.
With this, AMU has become the third central university to have a woman Vice-Chancellor. While Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit is the current VC of the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Najma Akhtar completed her tenure as the Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia in 2023.
However, it’s a matter of pride for Odisha because Khatoon hails from Odisha’s Jajpur district. Khatoon is the first woman to be appointed to the post in the varsity’s 123-year history. Begum Sultan Jahan became the Chancellor of AMU in 1920, making her the first and only woman to hold the position.
Khatoon took charge from her spouse Professor Mohammad Gulrez who was earlier officiating as pro vice-chancellor. Before taking charge of AMU VC, she worked as the principal of Aligarh Muslim University’s Women’s College for around 10 years (since 2014).
According to sources, the AMU Court had shortlisted three candidates for the post and forwarded the names to President Droupadi Murmu for selection in November last year.
Naima Khatoon started her professional journey as a lecturer at AMU in August 1988. She gradually rose through the ranks, becoming an Associate Professor in April 1998 and eventually a Professor in July 2006. She served as the Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Psychology before being appointed Principal at Women’s College in July 2014.
Khatoon has a PhD degree in Political Psychology. She conducted her doctoral work at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi, and AMU. She has presented her research findings at the University of Louisville (USA), the University of Alba Iulia (Romania), Chulalongkorn University (Bangkok), and the Hollings Centre in both Istanbul (Turkey) and Boston (USA).
