Former principal to head Dundee University taskforce

A former Dundee University principal has been named as the chairman of a new taskforce set up to help the financially-stricken institution.

Sir Alan Langlands, who has also served as the chief executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the NHS in England, will chair the new University of Dundee Strategic Advisory Taskforce.

The university faces cutting its workforce by 700 as it attempts to tackle a £35m deficit.

The taskforce comprises a group of experts from academia, industry and local and national government who will "advise on the future success" of the university.

The group will meet for the first time this month and will work to produce recommendations which will "support the future of the university and its role in the wider city region".

Sir Alan, who was the university's principal between 2000 and 2009, said it was a "privilege" to chair the new taskforce.

He said: "The Scottish government's commitment to ensuring its long-term future and impact, and protecting the interests of students and staff provides a strong foundation for the work of the taskforce."

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC), an arms-length body of the Scottish government, recently approved a £22m support package for Dundee University.

It said the package would be a mix of low-cost loans and capital grant.

Interim principal Prof Shane O'Neill told MSPs last month that "misleading information" had been given to him and others last year over the university's position.

The SFC has also launched an independent investigation into the reasons for the "deterioration" in the institution's finances and will attempt to understand "how this came as a surprise to the university leadership".

University and College Union (UCU) Scotland official Mary Senior welcomed the announcement.

"It's vital that there is meaningful involvement from campus trade unions in this group, and that it works at speed to save jobs and education, and to ensure that the university moves forward as a successful institution for the future," she said.

The taskforce and its leadership were announced by Scotland's education secretary Jenny Gilruth.

She said: "We are establishing this taskforce to ensure the University of Dundee has all the important advice and expertise needed to recover and build a strong, secure and sustainable future."

It comes as Ms Gilruth insisted Scottish ministers were determined that Dundee University would "thrive long into the future".

She said: "We will draw on the expertise of the taskforce to identify credible solutions and do everything possible to protect the interests of current and future students and staff."

The university is one of many having to make stark financial choices.

The University of Edinburgh is looking to make £140m of cuts over the next 18 months, the equivalent to about a tenth of the annual spending at the institution.

Aberdeen University has also cut staff through voluntary redundancy programmes, while the city's Robert Gordon University has put 135 roles "at risk".

It has been suggested that more than 80 universities across the UK face deficits of between £10m and £50m.