The commerce faculty dean’s chair is believed to a thorny place. The dean at this varsity’s largest faculty, with above 16,000 students and five departments, faces many administrative problems, including criticisms from fellow faculty staff. If sources are to be believed Prof S K Singh who is retiring in 2009 is most likely to continue as the dean till he bids adieu. The university, it is learnt, had circulated invites for the post to four candidates, two of whom are fulltime department heads, namely Amita Kantawala of Accounting and Financial Management Department, and Parimal Vyas from Commerce, including Business Administration Department The other two are Prof A R Hingorani, former head of CBA, and the incumbent dean, Prof Singh, who headed Business Economics Department earlier.

A section of faculty members at the commerce department do not want Prof Singh for an extended term, as they consider it would be a third stint for him at the helm. But another section feels that as Prof Singh retires in 2009, it will be fair if he is given an extension as he had done a fairly good job at faculty and no major fiasco at faculty administration were reported during his tenure.

Prof Singh was made dean in 2000 and had resigned after just 11 months following which Prof Mohite took over. After Prof Mohite’s retirement in 2005, Prof Singh again became the dean for a three-year term. During his time, a few student leaders manhandled and verbally abused him at his official residence, in the presence of his wife, but he stayed on and continued in his capacity.