Education secretary Jenny Gilruth will address parliament next week after a report found Dundee University chiefs breached ethics rules and ignored financial red flags.
Reaction to the explosive report has been swift.
Within minutes, interim principal Shane O’Neill’s resignation was welcomed across political parties.
The report’s findings are said to lay bare the “financial vandalism and appalling leadership” of the university.
‘Fresh, strong leadership required’
Dundee City West MSP Joe FitzPatrick said anyone else with responsibility should now follow Mr O’Neill and exit the university.
And he said he was “sure the appropriate authorities will be fully considering this report to determine any potential criminality”.
The SNP MSP added: “Fresh, strong leadership is required to ensure the recovery of the university.
“No institution as significant as Dundee University should be able to operate in smoke-filled rooms and this report raises serious questions about transparency.”
Ms Gilruth, the Scottish Government education secretary, said there are still serious questions for the university’s management team to answer.
Thanking the report’s author Professor Pamela Gillies, Ms Gilruth said: “This is obviously a difficult time for the university but I welcome the decisive action which has been taken with the changes in leadership.
“It is vital that we now move to a period of stability to ensure the institution can move forward and thrive into the future.
“Whilst the university is an autonomous institution which is ultimately responsible for decision-making around its day to day operations, the Scottish Government will do everything possible to secure a positive future for Dundee.”
Ms Gilruth is expected to update parliament on the crisis and future government support next week.
Financial vandalism
Dundee-based Labour MSP Michael Marra said Ms Gillie’s investigation had laid bare the “financial vandalism” of the university.
He said: “The report shows that the institution was failed catastrophically by a small group of executive leaders entirely out of their depth and cowed by a hubristic principal who brooked no dissent.
“The so-called triumvirate of the principal, his deputy and now interim principal and the chief operating officer opened this proud university to the greatest risks of a broken funding system in Scotland.”
Mr Marra said it was right Mr O’Neill had resigned but said the lessons go beyond Dundee University.
He added: “The Scottish Government must reckon with the fact that it has made all Scottish universities vulnerable to this kind of crisis, if they and the communities they serve have the misfortune of being led by a management so clearly out of its depth.”
Students and staff ‘betrayed’
North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie said students and staff had been betrayed.
The Lib Dem said: “The oppressive behaviour from the top together with inadequate reporting and governance from the court has led to this failure.
“We need a new, clear and competent leadership without delay so that the future of the University of Dundee can be secured.”
North East Scotland MSP Maggie Chapman, the university’s rector-elect, added: “This crisis has seen staff bear the brunt of the blows from redundancy threats to spending restrictions. Today’s revelations are a further shock. It is no wonder that the unions are calling for a new executive group to lead them out of this crisis.
“We must see a different approach for the university’s recovery. We need to see a fresh approach – a fresh management team – facilitate a collaborative co-design process that has staff and student voices at its heart.”
Meanwhile, Scottish Conservative education spokesman Miles Briggs said: “In light of the damning findings it is welcome they have done the right thing and resigned from their roles instantly.
“Sustained SNP cuts and Labour’s National Insurance hikes are only adding to the pressures facing universities like Dundee, but it should never have reached this point.
“The report is scathing about the inexcusable failures by those in leadership roles. It is now essential that this is a watershed moment to ensure no Scottish university will ever face such a situation in future.”
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