Dr.S.Muthukumaran took over the position of Member-Secretary. Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education in July 1996, Earlier, he settled at Chennai after completing two terms as Vice-Chancellor of Bharathidasan University. Tiruchirappalli and also other important positions in educational administration. After serving the Madras Public Works Department for 14 years, he joined the faculty of the College of Engineering Guindy, in 1966. He then moved to hold the position of Special Officer at the Directorate of Technical Education, Tamil Nadu after which he held the position of Deputy Educational Adviser, Government of India for four year, he was Registrar of Anna University, Chennai from 1982. More recently he had taken over additional charge of the post of Vice-Chairman of Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education.
Profile
During his long career, his contributions to Educational Planning and Development have been quite commendable as the Chairman, Task Force on Technical Education, Planning Commission, Government of Tamilnadu, Chairman, Tamil Nadu State-Level Review Committee on Autonomous Colleges; Member, Review Committee of Self Financing Engineering Colleges in Tamil Nadu; Member of the Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education; Member/Chairman in a number of committees, task forces etc. of All India Council for Technical Education. More recently he was a member of the Justice Mohan Committee on Elementary Education, Chairman of the Government Committee for finding ways and means to reduce aid to aided Colleges, Secretary of the Committee on transfer of Government Colleges to the Universities, and Chairman of the committee to locate lands for the Mother Teresa Women's University.
As Vice-Chancellor, he was responsible for the starting of may innovative programmes and new departments in the Bharathidasan University, he also established the School of Earth Sciences, Department of Futurology, Department of Tamil, School of Social Sciences, etc., and the Centre for Distance Education at the Bharathidasan University.
Basically a Doctorate in Civil Engineering, he had made significant contribution in the field of Foundations of Structures, including small dams. He drafted the Indian Standard Code on "Calculation of Settlements of Foundation". He has authored several scientific articles and research reports. He won two Gold Medals for his research papers.
Dr.Muthukumaran has published till now thirteen books (3 in English and 11 in Tamil) and numerous articles in Journals. His book "Nenjil Niruthungal" (in Tamil) bagged the first prize of Government of Tamil Nadu for the year 1991 and also received a commendation certificate of the Tamil University, Thanjavur. For his contributions to Tamil, Engineering and Education, he had received several awards.