New NID director takes charge amid dissent over faculty transfers

Ahmedabad: Ashok Mondal, the newly appointed director of the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, who formally took charge on Friday, held the first staff meeting on Monday. The interaction, however, turned stormy as students demanded answers from Mondal regarding the sweeping changes in faculty members' roles.The NID, Ahmedabad, oversees the functioning of the Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Bengaluru campuses of the premier design institute.According to NID sources, soon after taking charge, Mondal reshuffled the heads and leads of almost all the departments. The mid-academic year shuffle did not go well with the faculty members and students, who were already engaged in academic activities. Thus, before the formal meeting with the staff members scheduled at 5 pm on Monday, the students held a discussion with the director."The discussion ranged from his ideas for the institute and approach to design to the reasons for the sweeping changes. Almost all the women in lead roles were reassigned. Mondal, in his response, assured the students that he is following the procedure and would be open to suggestions from the students and members of NID in the future for improvement," said sources. "He also assured the students that there will be freedom to express ideas as the institute aims to open new centres and focus on developing areas."Sources said that the process of appointing deans and senior leadership roles often takes a month or more, as various aspects are considered, not just the core competence of the faculty. "What is the point of putting someone in a discipline where the faculty has not worked for long? It may take some time before the impact of the decision can be ascertained," said a senior official on condition of anonymity.Mondal was not available for comments. Mondal was both a student and faculty member at NID before he was appointed the director of the institute.
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