Dundee University ‘fell well short’, says interim boss in response to report

Previous management at the University of Dundee “fell well short” of the standards expected of them, the interim boss has said in his response to a damning report.

Former Glasgow Caledonian University principal Professor Pamela Gillies was asked to look into the culture, leadership and financial management at Dundee earlier this year after a £35m black hole was discovered, leading the institution to consider cutting hundreds of jobs.

The report found former principal Professor Iain Gillespie, who has since resigned, ex-interim principal Professor Shane O’Neill, and previous chief operating officer Jim McGeorge had acted as a “triumvirate”, making decisions amongst themselves, and it also questioned the quality of information about the university’s finances given to other senior officials.

In publishing the university’s response to the report on Wednesday, interim principal Professor Nigel Seaton said: “It was evident from the Gillies report that there had been clear failings in financial monitoring, leadership, and governance at the university.

“The entire UK higher education sector has been forced to deal with significant external factors in recent years but our university’s response to these, and its management of finances, fell well short of the standards that everyone should have expected.”

Dr Ian Mair, the acting chairman of the university court, said: “The actions we propose to take in the short, medium and long term are designed to ensure the university has a sustainable future built upon strong governance, financial competence, transparency, and accountability.

“Our response provides detailed assurances to our stakeholders that the immediate, robust, and impactful action required to implement significant operational and cultural change is under way.”

The response looked at the financial dealings of the university, its culture and governance, laying out short, medium and long-term actions to ensure its improvement.

The appointment of a permanent principal, chief financial officer and chief operating officer could take up to 18 months, according to the response, which puts the hiring of the three roles in the “longer term (12-18 months)” category.

The replacement principal, the response said, must have “experience of transformation and change and with a people-focused leadership style”.

Prof Gillespie was criticised in the Gillies report for not consulting with staff, as well accusing him of “hubris” in his leadership and being unable to take criticism.

In the next six months, it is hoped a new chairman of the university court can be found, along with regular members of the body, including those with “financial skills and experience”.

The university said it will cancel or defer all “non-essential capital projects” and use financial modelling to devise rolling five-year budget forecasts for key areas to get back on its feet financially.

The response also pledged to listen more to staff and students, with a number of events already being planned to do so.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The recommendations of Professor Gillies in her report on financial oversight and decision making at Dundee University are for the university to address as an autonomous institution.

“It is welcome that the university has committed to a full action plan to address the urgent and clear conclusions of the Gillies Report in the short and medium term as part of its overall path to recovery, which will be crucial to restoring confidence amongst staff.

“The Scottish Government will continue to do all we can to help Dundee University build a secure and sustainable future.”