mid-day: Was there any political influence behind renaming the university? Will the change in the brand name affect the university’s reputation?
VC: The proposal to change the name of the university was submitted by the senate and management council members of the varsity, and I don’t think they were under any political influence. We identify with the ideology and thoughts of Savitribai Phule, whose contribution for girls’ education is valuable. It is true that the 65-year-old brand name, ‘University of Pune’, was established worldwide, and keeping it intact and improving upon it will be a big challenge.

First of all: With the university braced to enter world education rankings for the first time, VC Gade is confident that SPPU will emerge as one of the top universities in the nation. Pic/Shashank Sane