Professor Arun Nigavekar
- He was Chairman and Vice Chairman of UGC between 2000 & 2005. He was a moving force behind formulating of strategy for development of higher education in the Tenth Plan of Government of India.
- Prior to his role at UGC he was the Vice Chancellor of University of Pune, a university that attained a status of University with Potential for Excellence under his leadership.
- He was a member of UGC in 1993-1996 and initiated several reforms like decentralization of UGC administration, corpus for higher education institution.
- He was a founder Director of National Assessment and Accreditation Council, an autonomous body of UGC. He developed instrument and methodology for judging quality in complex Indian higher education system, which is endorsed by International Network for Quality Assuring Agencies in Higher Education (INQUAHE).
- His significant contributions have been, use of technology for enhancement of utility and quality of higher education and internationalization of higher education. The path breaking contribution being, an initiation of concept of Quality in Higher Education, for which he was aptly called as a “father of quality movement in higher education in India” by none other than the Former President of India, Honorable Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.
- He was a Dakshina Fellowship holder of Rajaram College in Kolhapur and got educated in Pune and Uppsala in Sweden where he held SIDA Fellowship.
