Dundee Uni recovery plans will have no direct impact on students, says principal

Students attending Dundee University will not be directly impacted by the institution’s financial crisis, the interim principal has said.

The university is facing a £35m blackhole, putting hundreds of jobs at risk.

Interim principal and vice-chancellor Nigel Seaton said on Tuesday that the university is still considering compulsory redundancies and structural changes as part of the plan.

However, he said the plans “will not have a direct impact on the learning of students over the next year” as senior management works to make the university as “effective and as efficient as possible”.

He said the academic programmes on offer are the same as previous years, despite offering fewer modules in the name of efficiency.

“The student experience is the same as it was before, and that will continue over this year with whatever organisational changes we’ll be making in the background.”

North East & Tayside

Dundee University’s revised recovery plan rejected amid £35m black hole

The institution is to receive an ‘unprecedented bailout’ of £40m as it faces a financial crisis.

In June, the Scottish Government announced it would give Dundee University £40m in an “unprecedented bailout” over the next three years.

A recovery plan, submitted to the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) in August, was rejected as the organisation outlined “longer-term strategic planning informed by constructive engagement with staff and students” instead.

Mr Seaton was not surprised that the SFC rejected the university’s initial recovery plans.

“We knew it would have some difficult messages in it,” he said.

“‘Rejected’ is what appeared in the press, but I think it was a bit more complex than that, and we’re still in discussion about how we’ll take the university forward with their support.”

Mr Seaton denied that compulsory redundancy plans were a sticking point in negotiations, but he admitted that there is a “general need” to rethink staffing levels across the industry.

“That is happening in a slightly more intense way here in part because of the situation we are in, but it is happening in universities across Scotland,” he said.

The interim principal said it is not clear when a financial recovery agreement will be reached, but he hoped it would be decided in a “matter of weeks”.

‘Things are kind of back to normal’

Two second-year Dundee University students told STV News on Tuesday that things are “kind of back to normal”.

History student Findlay said that there have been improvements for students since the uncertainty of last year.

“I’ve not really noticed anything this term,” he said.

“Last year, there was uncertainty. You noticed the strike action – there was signage everywhere, and people were really quite concerned about their jobs. [This year] it feels like they’re making a really conscious effort.”

Fellow history student, Emily, said: “What’s out is out now. Everyone kind of knows what’s happening. [The university] has been quite good at keeping us up to date. I don’t think it’s as bad as last year.”

Finlay added: “It feels refreshing that it’s kind of back to normal in a way. Obviously, there are still steps to go, but I think it’s a little more normal than it was before.”