Staff and students must be at heart of Dundee Uni recovery
Staff and students must not be made to pay the price for years of financial mismanagement and poor governance by Dundee University's senior leadership, says Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman.
Maggie, who represents Dundee as part of North East Scotland and serves as the elected Rector of Dundee University, will address protesters today ahead of a meeting of the University Court.
Maggie said:
“Dundee University is a world-class institution with dedicated staff and talented students. But they’ve been badly let down by successive university leaders, poor governance, and a lack of proper scrutiny and oversight.
“The staff and students are not responsible for the years of financial mismanagement that have brought the university to this point, and they must not be made to pay the price.
"As both an MSP and the elected Rector, my solidarity is with every member of staff and every student facing uncertainty about their future. Their voices must be heard, and they must be at the heart of every decision about the university's recovery.
"The university needs a credible plan to secure its long-term future, but that cannot be built on deep cuts, a lack of transparency or decisions imposed from the top down. Recovery will only succeed if it is based on openness, genuine consultation and investment in the people who make this university what it is.
“This crisis has exposed serious failures in governance and accountability. Trust clearly needs to be rebuilt, but it also has to be earned.
“Staff, students and trade unions must be involved at every step before major decisions are taken rather than being informed after the fact and told to deal with the consequences.”