New recovery plan for Dundee University

[vivdunstan]

This has been announced today, aiming for a much lower cut in jobs - 300 full-time equivalent, rather than the 632 proposed last month. And managed via voluntary severance, rather than a mix of that plus compulsory redundancies. Savings will need to be made elsewhere too, and there is presumably going to be a hefty further financial injection from the Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council. But it's better.

Dundee University was potentially going to crash into bankruptcy as soon as June. And the originally proposed recovery plan was taking a sledgehammer approach to the university, losing 1/5 of all academic jobs, as well as cutting courses and institutions, and gutting the staff needed to deliver a high quality education. This is better. It's a shame it's been so catastrophically managed though, both to get us into this mess (the previous Principal has an awful lot to answer for, as do other executive members, including current ones), and also after the financial disaster became clear in November. It has been a phenomenally stressful time for staff and students. The Scottish Government was also hands off for too long. But we are getting there. Fingers crossed.

I'm writing this as long-term honorary research staff at the university (for 15 years now), a double alumna, and married to a salaried staff member of 24 years standing.

Comments

[greenwoodside]

I'm glad to hear things are less horrific at DU. You've been connected with them for so long -- even a vagabond like me gets attached to their organisation, so I can't imagine what it's like for you with eight times the maximum I've served in any one place.

At another institution (not looking at Cardiff here), I might have suspected that senior management had deliberately overstated the expected cuts, so that later announcements would be waved through without as much opposition from the unions as might have otherwise been the case.

But it sounds as if DU was nearing implosion, plus its finances will likely be getting more governmental scrutiny than any other university in the UK is likely to receive ... In those circumstances, I think even the most cynical leadership group would hesitate to try that.

[vivdunstan]

There's a very thorough independent probe currently underway examining Dundee University and its finances. I'm doubtful that the current leaders would have chanced their luck too much on recovery plan number 1, given that they knew the probe was imminent.

The Scottish parliament and its education committee of MSPs are also examining and interrogating the university thoroughly. Though that process is slightly on pause while the probe works through the evidence.

I've been with Dundee University since 2001, so 24 years. I started as a postgraduate (taught MPhil, then PhD, both part time) before Martin started working for the university. And as soon as I finished my PhD I got my honorary research fellowship I've held ever since.

[a_cubed]

I wonder if that original proposal was a deliberate disaster scenario by the current management to persuade the funding bodies to cough up more help.

[vivdunstan]

There may have been some manoeuvring, yes, but I'm doubtful how much, given that the university and its management and finances are currently going through a very deep and thorough forensic level independent probe. Which was known was going to be happening back when the first recovery plan was announced. Its primary focus is on what led to the disastrous situation in November, but it's unlikely it wouldn't also be interested in the management since then.

The university has already received £22 million of emergency funding. But still needs more if it's not to cut more jobs. And still needs a bank loan to finance the voluntary severance. Which means things are still uncertain really. But I'm crossing fingers.