Lucknow, July 17 -- The appointment of Lucknow University vice chancellor Prof Alok Kumar Rai as the director-designate of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta despite having no first-hand experience of how an IIM works is viewed by his peers as a first of its kind appointment and a testament to his skill set.

IIM Ahmedabad director Prof Bharat Bhasker said, "To the best of my limited knowledge, Prof Alok Kumar Rai is perhaps the first from a state-run university who has been appointed director. There aren't too many examples."

Rai, who hails from Varanasi but has spent more than five-and-a-half years at Lucknow University, held a professorial position at the Faculty of Management Studies, Banaras Hindu University, in Varanasi. ...