Getty ImagesTV presenter Lorraine Kelly has warned the “horrific” job losses at Dundee University will have a ripple effect across the city.
Staff were informed of plans to cut 632 posts – about 20% of the workforce – by interim principal Shane O’Neill at a meeting on Tuesday.
The move, which will affect every school and directorate, is designed to address a £35m deficit.
Former rector Kelly, who is also an honorary graduate, told BBC Scotland News that the university had been a “big part” of her life.
She said: “If the university suffers, it has a massive effect on the city itself.
“I keep thinking about all of the people who are going to lose their jobs – incredible people who have got such knowledge to pass onto their students.
“Education is cut to the bone anyway, so adding this on top makes me fear for the future of the university and it makes me incredibly sad.
“And for the people who work there and are going to lose their jobs, it’s horrific.”
PA MediaKelly also warned that the impact of the news was not confined to the campus.
She said: “Even financially, some businesses really rely on the staff and students.
“And it’s all of these pubs and restaurants that make the city vibrant.
“The students at the university bring a buzz to the city and it’s a great place to meet friends.
“Dundee has got this global reputation, especially in life sciences.
“If you’re cutting 20% of your staff and cutting all of that experience and all that knowledge, it’s got to have an effect.”
Kelly, who hosts Lorraine on ITV, added: “Given how far the university has come, to see this happen really is heartbreaking.”
‘Unstable position’
Former principal Prof Iain Gillespie told staff in November that job losses were “inevitable” and blamed “an extremely challenging period” for the UK higher education sector.
On Tuesday the university also confirmed an external investigation would be conducted into “what went wrong”.
It also admitted that the scale of staff cuts meant that it was “very unlikely” that compulsory redundancies will be avoided.
The University and College Union (UCU) Scotland said the announcement was a “hammer-blow to hard working and committed workers”.
Students at Dundee University told BBC Scotland News they were concerned about their degrees and the future of the university.
Lasksh Joshi, a third year physics student, said: “Even just within the city, people are asking how Dundee has gone down the drain so badly.
“My brother is going to university soon and up until this year I would’ve encouraged him to apply to Dundee.
“But now looking at the news with all the cuts, I couldn’t really recommend Dundee and I wouldn’t stay for a masters because you don’t really know what’s on the horizon.
“Why would you apply to a university that’s in such an unstable position?”
He added: “You can’t just walk into a £35m black hole.
“All the statements are fine and they’re doing well and suddenly one day there’s a £35m shortage. It can’t just come from nowhere.”
The university said that factors including a “severe drop” in international student recruitment and an increase in National Insurance contributions were to blame for the deficit.
But it added internal factors including “inadequate financial discipline and control” and “poor capital planning and investment decisions” had also contributed to the situation.
Innes Gourlay-Noor, a fourth year textile design student, said the news was “quite a big shock”.
“You feel for your lecturers as well because you have such a connection with them,” she added. “It’s quite difficult to deal with.”
“I feel like a lot of courses might just get squeezed and maybe the art school won’t even be here in a couple years just because of the cuts.
“The arts are such a historical and traditional thing.
“It’s such a shame that it’s the first thing that gets cut because is not as valued as much as the sciences.”
The university’s financial recovery plan also includes reducing its eight schools to three faculties, as well as a 20% reduction in module delivery.
Third year physics student Shay McGivney said students were worried about how this would affect their education.
He said the reputational damage to Dundee was “quite bad”.
“You’ve got to feel for the staff as well,” he added. “At the end of the day, I feel like the students probably will be looked after.
“But all of the staff who have worked here for years, all of a sudden there’s going to be these jobs lost and it’s out of their control.
“The staff are really good to us and they don’t deserve this either.”
Prof O’Neill, the university’s interim principal, said: “The current financial crisis has challenged us to ask some very fundamental questions about the size, shape, balance and structure of the university.
“The measures we are now proposing would make an essential contribution in our becoming a more appropriately balanced and restructured institution.
“Getting there will not be easy and we are determined to take on board all relevant lessons from the past and the various factors that contributed to the current position.”
