Bhubaneswar: Odisha Governor and Chancellor of Universities Hari Babu Kambhampati on Monday announced the appointment of Vice Chancellors for 14 state universities, signalling a major reshuffle in the higher education leadership across the state.
According to official releases issued from the Chancellor's office at Lok Seva Bhavan on April 6, 2026, the appointments have been made under provisions of the Odisha Universities Act, 1989 and the Odisha University Act, 2017.
Among the key appointments, Prof. Chandi Prasad Nanda has been named Vice Chancellor of Utkal University, Prof. Arka Kumar Das Mohapatra will head Ravenshaw University and Prof. Santosh Kumar Tripathy has been appointed to Fakir Mohan University.
The full list of appointees is as follows:
| University | Appointed Vice Chancellor |
|---|---|
| Utkal University | Prof. Chandi Prasad Nanda |
| Ravenshaw University | Prof. Arka Kumar Das Mohapatra |
| Fakir Mohan University | Prof. Santosh Kumar Tripathy |
| Dharanidhar University | Prof. Sanjaya Kumar Patro |
| Gangadhar Meher University | Prof. Byomakesh Tripathy |
| Khallikote Unitary University | Prof. Asima Sahu |
| Maa Manikeshwari University | Prof. Pawan Kumar Agrawal |
| Madhusudan Law University | Prof. Sibaram Tripathy |
| Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University | Prof. Mahendra Kumar Mohanty |
| Rajendra University | Prof. Bibhuti Bhusan Malik |
| Rama Devi Women's University | Prof. Jyotsna K.B. Rout |
| Shree Jagannath Sanskrit University | Prof. Prabhat Kumar Mohapatra |
| Vikram Dev University | Prof. Hrushikesh Senapaty |
| Odia University | Prof. Satyanarayan Acharya |
The Governor extended his best wishes to the newly appointed Vice Chancellors and expressed confidence in their ability to strengthen academic standards, promote research, and improve institutional governance.