First Minister John Swinney says he would send his own son to Dundee University despite a “monumental leadership failure”.
Speaking to The Courier, the SNP leader insisted the university remains “strong”.
Asked if he would send his own son Matthew, 14, to the institution, the first minister said: “Yes, I would, because fundamentally, the University of Dundee is a strong institution.”
He also called on the former principal Iain Gillespie to hand back a £150,000 pay-off after he quit by text while the financial crisis escalated.
‘Catastrophic leadership failure’
Asked if he thought the cash should be returned, Mr Swinney said: “I think that would be the right thing to do because the University of Dundee is facing an acute challenge.
“The Gillies Review has given us all the evidence base one could ever need to have to know that there was a catastrophic leadership failure at the University of Dundee, and therefore I think the reasonable thing to do would be to hand back any payments.”
Mr Swinney said his message to potential students and their parents considering which university to attend over the summer is that Dundee remains “fundamentally strong”.
He added: “It’s had a monumental leadership failure which has been demonstrated by the Gillies Review.
“What I would say to parents and students, and to staff, is that throughout this situation, the Scottish Government has been clear that we recognise that fundamental underlying strength of the institution, that we wanted to make sure that was secured for the future.
“That’s now happening.”
He added: “This is a fundamentally strong academic and clinical institution, and the government will work with the new leadership of the university to make sure its future is secure.”
The Courier understands the selection process to recruit a new principal is now in the very early stage.
Interim principal Nigel Seaton – who spent two decades at the top of Abertay University – has taken over for a “short” transition period for immediate stability.
University sources say the next appointment is likely to be a medium-term appointment due to the length of the recruitment process, with a permanent replacement sought in the longer-term.
A source said there is a determination that there is a wide range of potential candidates to ensure the right person is selected after such a turbulent period.
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