Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) is the only university in the world exclusively for tribal students. Founded by eminent educationist and social activist Dr Achyuta Samanta, KISS is a one-of-its-kind fully free and fully residential institution, imparting education from KG to PG as well as providing doctoral programmes to tribal students. KISS, as a whole, is a home for 60,000 tribal children (30,000 existing students and 30,000 graduates).
Eminent personalities from Odisha who have brought pride to the state at the national and international stages have joined in different top positions as the Chancellor, Pro-Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Director General of KISS Deemed to be University.
Satya S. Tripathi, a former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), has taken over as the Chancellor of KISS Deemed to be University. Tripathi, who hails from the Cuttack district of Odisha, has 40 years of rich and varied experience, which includes holding key positions in the UN around the world. He is also Secretary-General of the Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet.
Dr Upendra Tripathy, IAS (Retd.), who has served with the Government of India as the Secretary in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, has joined as the Pro-Chancellor. Dr Tripathy, who belongs to the Ganjam district of Odisha, was also the first Director-General of the International Solar Alliance, the first treaty-based international organisation headquartered in India.
Prof. Deepak Kumar Behera, from Sambalpur district and an internationally acclaimed anthropologist, has taken charge as the Vice-Chancellor. Prior to joining KISS, he served as the Vice-Chancellor of Sambalpur University, Berhampur University and Rajendra University, Balangir. Prof. Behera has the distinction of being the only anthropologist in India to become the Vice-Chancellor of three different universities. He was a Fulbright Visiting Professor at California State University.
Prof. Pitabasa Sahoo, Dean, Department of Development Studies at Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, Tamil Nadu has joined as the Pro-Vice Chancellor on deputation. Hailing from the Keonjhar district of Odisha, he has 20 years of research experience in the domain of Tribal Development, Regional Studies, Rural Development, Sustainable Development and Social Sector Development with agencies like UNDP, WFP, NORAD, Norwegian Aid, World Bank, DFID, etc.
Similarly, an IPS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, Dr Kanhu Charan Mahali has joined as the Director-General, KISS Deemed to be University, after his retirement as Additional Director-General. A tribal from the Mayurbhanj district, he is an efficient administrator with over 34 years of experience in various capacities.
KISS Alumni Association, KISS Students’ Association and KISS Adivasi Parents’ Association welcomed and congratulated them for joining such a world-class institution. They thanked Dr Achyuta Samanta, Founder of KIIT and KISS, who has been making continuous efforts to make KISS a top institute in the world. They expressed confidence that with the appointment of experienced senior administrators and academicians at the helm of affairs at KISS Deemed to be University, it is set to become a centre of excellence in tribal studies shortly.