LUCKNOW, July 16 -- Lucknow University vice-chancellor professor Alok Kumar Rai has been appointed as the director of Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta (IIM-C). According to a letter issued by the ministry of education, following the approval by President Droupadi Murmu in her capacity as the visitor of IIM-C, Rai has been appointed as its director under Section 16 (2) of the Indian Institutes of Management Act, 2017 (amended in 2023). A copy of the appointment letter must be issued by the IIM-C Board and acceptance letter by Rai has to be sent to the ministry for records, as per the letter. It is for the first time in the history of Lucknow University that any vice-chancellor will be joining a central institute like IIM. It's also a rare instance when a non-IIM professor will be appointed as the IIM director. IIM-C has not had a regular full-term director for nearly two years now. Prior to his Lucknow University assignment, Rai served as a professor of management at the Banaras Hindu University. He also held several posts in various high-level committees and panels. Under Rai's leadership, LU became the first university in UP to be accredited with an A++ grade by NAAC. It was conferred Category-I status by the UGC, and ranked among the top 100 institutions in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), securing the 32nd position among State Public Universities. The university also implemented the New Education Policy (2020). Rai led LU during the centennial year and conducted the 100-year celebrations. LU emerged as a preferred destination for international students, hosting one of the largest cohorts of international learners among Indian universities until last year. The university launched LUCODE (Lucknow University Centre for Online and Distance Education) and developed its own digital learning platform SLATE under his leadership. It was under his leadership that new faculties like - Pharmacy, Management and Agriculture have been started in the university and the planning for a third campus has been sketched. The V-C also contributed to the infrastructural development of the university. HT tried contacting Rai over phone but with no answer....