The Centre has initiated the process for appointing a new vice-chancellor for North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) in Shillong, amid continuing uncertainty over the functioning of the institution. The Ministry of Education invited online applications from eligible candidates for the post. The application process will continue till June 18, according to an official notification. The vice-chancellor, as the academic and administrative head of the university, should possess “the highest level of competence, integrity, morals and institutional commitment”, it said. The move comes ahead of the completion of the tenure of the incumbent VC Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla, whose term is scheduled to end on July 26.
According to the advertisement, the candidate should be a distinguished academician with a minimum of 10 years’ experience as Professor in a university or 10 years’ experience in a reputed research and/or academic administrative organisation with proof of having demonstrated academic leadership. The Ministry has also stated that the applicant should preferably not be more than 65 years of age as on the closing date for receipt of applications.
The post carries a fixed pay of Rs 2,10,000 per month along with a special allowance of Rs. 11,250 and other usual allowances as admissible under university rules. It was informed that the appointment will be made from a panel of names recommended by a committee constituted under the provisions of the University Act.
The advertisement has been made available on the websites of education.gov.in and nehu.ac.in. Candidates have been asked to apply online through the Ministry of Education SAMARTH (vcrec.smarth.ac.in/index.php/). The online application portal became active from 10 am on May 20 and will remain open till 5 pm on June 18, 2026. The advertisement comes against the backdrop of a prolonged leadership vacuum at NEHU after the VC’s continued absence since November 2024. Faculty and administrative staff described the absence as having created measurable operational challenges across academic and administrative functions.