Career Profile

Dr. M.M. Salunkhe, was born and brought up in a small village near Sangli in
Maharashtra. The village has a population of less than 2500, having only primary education facility even today. His father was a farmer. His generation was the only one to acquire education beyond S.S.C. He had his secondary education at another village, about four k.m. away with no direct road connecting the two villages. Although his parents were not educated, they encouraged him to take up higher education which resulted in his getting B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. from Shivaji University, Kolhapur.

After obtaining Ph.D. in 1979, he joined Vivekanand College, Kolhapur as a
Lecturer in Chemistry and in 1980, was selected as a lecturer in Shivaji University, Kolhapur. Although for his Ph.D., he worked in the field of Reaction Kinetics, his guide Prof. Jagdale, encouraged him to take up further research work in frontier areas to get national and international recognition. As a result, he ventured into a completely new and expanding field of Polymer supported reagents in Organic Synthesis, which fetched him for the first time international publications in Organic Chemistry Department of Shivaji University. This, in turn, helped him to interact with internationally renowned Prof. Patchornik, who invited him later on to work with him at the prestigious Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel where he had the privilege to work in the laboratory of Prof Weizmann himself, the first president of Israel. Based on this work, he got a one year fellowship at Vienna in the field of Carbohydrate Chemistry. Later, he also had an opportunity to work with Prof. Letsinger at Northwestern University, USA. Mention here must be made that the interaction with Prof. Letsinger flourished in a remarkable way by which he was invited to work with Prof. Letsinger thrice leading to getting exposure to the important emerging field of Biotechnology, particularly DNA technology and genetic engineering. The research experience gained in working in wide ranging frontier areas of applied sciences has developed a scientific analytical mindset in him.

His consistent research and teaching as Reader in Shivaji University, Kolhapur earned him a letter of appreciation from the then Vice-Chancellor which incidentally then was the only one of its kind given to a teacher.

He was selected as Professor of Organic Chemistry at the Institute of Science,
Mumbai in March, 1995, and subsequently became the Head, Department of Chemistry (1997) and then the Director of the Institute from 2000-2004. In June, 2004 he joined Shivaji University as its Vice-Chancellor, and since then he is working with a sense of commitment to take the University towards excellence in quality as well as be more socially inclusive in the larger interests of the societal needs.

Today, as a Teacher cum Academic Administrator with 29 years of standing, with a academic background of having worked in a College, University Department, Institute of Science, Mumbai and as Vice-Chancellor of Shivaji University, Kolhapur, his extensive interaction with academic fraternities from College/ Universities at national and International level has developed keen insights in him gained from this exposure which always guides him to serve with a sense of purpose and meaning.

At the Institute of Science, Mumbai he took the lead and initiative to bring grants worth over Rs. 15 million from various funding agencies such as CSIR, DAE, DBT, UGC, ISIS Pharmaceuticals, USA etc. for his projects and about Rs. 4 crores to the Institute for other projects. As Vice-Chancellor of Shivaji University, Kolhapur he succeeded in increasing the funds for R & D from various funding agencies obtained by University from Rs. 3.5 crores in 2004 to Rs. 4.50 crores in 2006-07 to Rs. 6 Crores in 2007-08. These efforts have resulted in establishing good modern State of art research infrastructure and instrumentation facilities which in turn has helped to produce excellent researchers and experts as well as render quality service to fellow academicians. The process of permanent asset building has raised the standards of teaching and research at the Institute as well as at Shivaji University, Kolhapur. A noteworthy bold decision of Prof. Salunkhe has been to start B.Tech. and M.Tech. Courses in a traditional University System with the starting of the International School of Engineering and Technology. Physical infrastructure improvements, plantation and campus eautification, rain water harvesting and construction of Percolation Dams leading to self-sufficiency in water needs on the campus, creation of new Professorial Chairs, also has changed the campus environment and made it more healthy and conducive to teaching and research.

In an era, which is witnessing fast changes in the field of higher education, his efforts as Vice-Chancellor of Shivaji University, Kolhapur are mainly focused to raise the quality of teaching and research at both College as well as University level. Emphasis is laid on improving infrastructure, instrumentation facilities, faster and wider internet facilities bringing in more funds for R & D, moving fast towards IT based teaching and increasing access of higher education for the marginalized and weaker sections of society by developing distance education mode of learning and teaching. Importance is equally laid upon improvisation of University  administration, making IT enabled examination system and complete computerization of the Accounts Section, development of Account Code for the University and making the system of college affiliation more transparent and policy based.

The above efforts, on the quality front are equally matched by concerted efforts made to make the university system more socially inclusive. Expansion of the Earn and Learn Scheme of the University, introduction of the ‘Work on Demand’ scheme for needy but meritorious students, better quality internet facility on the campus, renovations of Hostels and increase in their intake capacity through their extension, regularisation of University funded Departmental Research Fellowships, introduction of Teaching Assistantships, Improvisation of Sports Infrastructure, setting up of Central Placement Cell, conduct of Campus Interviews are efforts made to make the University system more egalitarian in its approach and content.

Equal emphasis also has been given to make the University system more useful to society at large. NSS activities of college students, students participation in Government, UNICEF funded surveys of rural society, University initiative with Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai to train and empower leather goods and Kolhapuri Chappal making artisans of Kolhapur City, etc. are humble efforts in this direction made by Dr. Salunkhe during the last three and half years.

Prof. Salunkhe is of the opinion that in the 21st Century, coordinated and
collaborative efforts of institutions will go a long way in improving quality and standards of teaching and research. This necessitates inter exchange of faculty and students, joint collaborative R & D efforts, more industry–academia inter exchange. Keeping this in view as Vice-Chancellor of Shivaji University, Kolhapur in the last few years, his efforts have succeeded to undertake MoUs with foreign Universities as well as Institute of national importance. Shivaji University has signed MoUs with 14 foreign universities and 10 national institutes and this has facilitated teacher student inter-exchange, collaborative R & D efforts and conduct of other student centric activities.

Prof. Salunkhe’s senior faculty, Heads of Department, Directors, past VCs always showed faith in him and entrusted him with a number of academic and administrative responsibilities which he has carried out to their utmost satisfaction. As the Academic Head of Shivaji University, Kolhapur, he has tried to inject transparency, openness and policy based administration to make the system more student and society friendly and useful.