Chandigarh, Jan. 14 -- Facing a prolonged faculty crunch, Panjab University (PU) has begun scaling up the appointment of 'Professors of Practice' across departments, tapping nationally and internationally recognised practitioners to supplement classroom teaching under the University Grants Commission (UGC) framework. Vice-chancellor prof Renu Vig said the university is leveraging UGC norms that allow institutions to appoint professionals from industry, arts, culture and public life as Professors of Practice, up to 10% of a department's sanctioned faculty strength. The move, she said, is aimed at ensuring academic continuity and exposing students to global and contemporary professional practices. Under UGC guidelines, Professors of Practice are appointed on a contractual basis and are compensated per lecture or per engagement, rather than being inducted as regular faculty. PU is currently functioning with around half of its sanctioned regular faculty strength, officials said, with vacancies persisting for years due to delays in recruitment. The shortfall has affected course delivery, electives and student mentoring in several departments. As part of the initiative, the university has cleared multiple Professors of Practice appointments, including in engineering linked departments and the department of English and Cultural Studies. Among the notable additions are poet lyricist Irshad Kamil and poet editor Sudeep Sen, both of whom have international academic and literary footprints and are expected to bring global creative practices into the classroom. University officials said the appointments reflect a broader shift encouraged by the UGC, which promotes the inclusion of practitioners with global exposure, cross border experience and distinguished professional careers to bridge the gap between academia and real world practice. Irshad Kamil, an alumnus of Panjab University with academic training in journalism and Hindi and a PhD from PU, was recently on campus for a memorial lecture, following which discussions on formal academic association were initiated. His engagement is expected to focus on creative writing, poetry and interdisciplinary cultural studies. Sudeep Sen, whose work spans poetry, translation and international literary editing, was recommended by the English department after internal assessment, officials said. His role is likely to include specialised lectures, workshops and student interactions. PU officials stressed that the model is not a substitute for permanent recruitment but a stop gap and enrichment measure. "With regular appointments moving slowly, this allows us to maintain academic standards while also exposing students to global perspectives," V-C Renu Vig said. The newly appointed Professors of Practice are expected to begin academic engagement in the upcoming academic session, while similar appointments in technical departments are likely to be rolled out in phases....