Samuel Ratnajeevan Herbert Hoole (born September 15, 1952). is a professor

Professor

A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...

 of Electrical Engineering

Electrical engineering

Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...

. 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

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...

, opposed the appointment and used threats and intimidation against the professor and his family to discourage him from accepting his post. He was compelled to take special leave due to these threats to his life by local para military groups 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

University Grants Commission (India)

The University Grants Commission of India is a statutory organisation set up by Union government in 1956, for the coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of university education. It provides recognition for universities in India, and provides funds for government-recognised...

 by the then president Chandrika Kumaratunga

Chandrika Kumaratunga

Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga born June 29, 1945) was the 4th Executive president of Sri Lanka, serving from November 12, 1994 to November 19, 2005. The daughter of two former Prime Ministers, she was also the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party until end of 2005...

.

Professor Hoole is a younger sibling of Human Rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

 activist Rajan Hoole

Rajan Hoole

Michael Richard Ratnarajan Hoole known as Rajan Hoole is a Tamil Human Rights activist and a co founder, along with the late Ranjani Thiranagama, of University Teachers for Human Rights, Jaffna branch, while affiliated to the Department of Mathematics, University of Jaffna. He is the eldest son of...

. Prof. Hoole is a Protestant Christian.