Two Dundee University chiefs to leave amid ongoing cash crisis

Two members of Dundee University’s executive team are to leave as the institution continues to struggle with a financial crisis.

The university’s vice-principal of education Professor Blair Grubb and vice-principal of research Professor Lisanne Gibson have both confirmed they will be leaving in the coming months.

Professor Grubb will retire and Professor Gibson has been appointed as pro-vice-chancellor for the faculty of society and culture at Northumbria University.

Professor Grubb is retiring from his position at the end of July after six years at the University. Scottish Parliament

In a letter to staff on Friday, interim principal and vice-chancellor Professor Shane O’Neill said their departures have come at a time when the university is looking to “optimise” the capabilities of its leadership board.

“We will be revising future executive roles in line with proposals for change, on which we will be consulting as we move forward with our recovery process,” he said.

“The portfolio responsibilities carried by Blair and Lisanne will be key elements of the revision of University Executive Group roles.”

Dundee University is facing a £35m funding shortfall, and bosses previously admitted that without financial support, they will be “out of cash” by the end of June.

As a result, Dundee is planning to cut 632 full-time equivalent jobs across departments. They revealed last week that these cuts will likely impact 700 individuals.

At an Education, Children and Young People Committee meeting at Holyrood last month, Mr O’Neill said “inadequate financial discipline and control”, “inadequate oversight”, and “gaps in the competence” of school leadership played a role in the current situation.

In recent weeks, the Scottish Funding Council approved £22m of emergency funding for the institution, as well as launching an external investigation into how the situation materialised.

Professor Grubb is retiring from his position at the end of July after six years at the University. Professor Gibson has been at Dundee since 2023, and she will be departing at the end of June.

Professor O’Neill said he has been working with Universities Scotland and other networks to gather support and input from experienced colleagues across the sector during the ongoing financial crisis to “avail ourselves of the best ideas and talent the sector can offer”.

He said the University will be joined in the coming weeks by seconded colleagues from the sector to support Dundee on its “path to recovery”.

“I am delighted to say that the first of these is starting with us today,” he said.

“Veronica Strachan, an experienced university secretary based at Robert Gordon University, will be working with us two days a week to support us in managing the governance-related challenges we are working through in the recovery process.”