The future of the University

If you’ve been following the news about the University of Dundee over the past year, you will be well aware of the host of issues facing our institution. One year on from the November 2024 announcement that the University was facing a financial crisis, we are beginning to reset, repair, and refocus on a future where we don’t just survive, but thrive. 

That 2024 announcement revealed that we were facing an anticipated £30 million deficit, in part affected by issues affecting many other HE institutions: a drop in international student recruitment, ongoing structural underfunding of higher education, cost increases, and inflationary and National Insurance pressures.

Dundee-specific issues

However, alongside those sector-wide issues, we also faced Dundee-specific problems: a longstanding structural imbalance, inadequate financial discipline coupled with poor investment decisions, and an inadequate oversight of the financial underpinnings of our strategic ambitions, all of which were covered in the Gillies Report into how the crisis occurred. 

There has been a wholesale change in senior leadership, with resignations, retirals, and roles taken elsewhere. We have a newly elected Chair of Court, and by early 2026 we will have an entirely new University Executive Group compared to November 2024. 

As part of our process of recovery, a listening exercise revealed how the crisis had affected staff, and gave an insight into a path forward from the views of individuals across the organisation.  

While the listening exercise revealed harrowing truths – that up to 70% of staff felt the crisis had detrimentally affected their health and wellbeing; that many felt uncertain about and unable to plan for their future; and, damningly, almost 90% felt a complete loss of confidence in leadership, and betrayed and deceived by those in charge – it also brought ideas for change. 

Changing for the better

Those changes are points that the future success of the University will hinge on. A call for genuine engagement from the University Executive Group, accountability and fair processes across the board, and visible, genuine leadership were all cited – as was a complete reset of leadership and its culture. 

Across the board, the hope for the future is for a university that people are proud to be associated with, recognised for excellence rather than crisis management; a strong community culture; student-centred excellence; and, of course, financial sustainability for the future. 

And while there is a long road ahead, with the leadership of Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Nigel Seaton, who will be in post until the appointment of a new permanent Principal, we are beginning to take first steps into a more sustainable future for the University. 

Further change at senior levels of the University has also come with the installation of Maggie Chapman MSP as Rector – the role representing students on University Court.  

From the past to the future

One constant throughout this tumultuous time has been alumni and 1968 graduate Lord George Robertson in his role as Chancellor of the University. With stalwart leadership gained over decades of public service in government, he has been a beacon of support and epitomises the passion of the institution that so many of us have. 

With all of these roles taking a lead on the future direction of the University following one of the most challenging years in University history, we can start to rebuild towards a more hopeful, more sustainable future.