Samuel Ratnajeevan Herbert Hoole (born September 15, 1952).[1] is a professor of Electrical Engineering. Previously he was posted at the Peradeniya University. He has spent many years in USA. Currently Professor Hoole teaches at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) at their satellite campus in Hartford, CT.
President Mahinda Rajapakse appointed Prof. Hoole as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Jaffna in March 2006. However, the rebel group People's Uprising Force, which is believed to have links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, opposed the appointment and used threats and intimidation[2][3] against the professor and his family to discourage him from accepting his post. He was compelled to take special leave[4] due to these threats to his life[5] by local para military groups[6] allied with the LTTE. In January 2008, N.Shanmugalingan, a new vice chancellor for the University of Jaffna has been appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in lieu of Prof. Hoole not taking up his assigned position for an extended period, exceeding more than a year. Prior to his appointment as VC of The University of Jaffna, Prof. Hoole was appointed to the University Grants Commission by the then president Chandrika Kumaratunga.[7]
Professor Hoole is a younger sibling of Human Rights activist Rajan Hoole.[6] Prof. Hoole is a Protestant Christian.[8]. At present Dr. Hoole is a Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Michigan State University, USA since September 2011.