The efforts of retired Abertay University principal Professor Bernard King to promote the computer games industry in Dundee have been praised by a city MP.
Labour’s Jim McGovern has been campaigning for the sector to be granted tax breaks by the UK Government to help it maintain its international competitiveness.
He said, “Professor King has done a tremendous amount of good for Abertay and for Dundee.
“I am particularly grateful for Professor King’s work to develop and promote the computer games industry. He has led the way in seeing such an important part of Dundee’s economy grow over the last decade.”
Mr McGovern said the professor would be “greatly missed,” but he believed the university would continue to benefit from the foundations he laid during his 19 years in charge.
The departure of the principal came following the settlement of a long-running dispute which had seen him suspended from his post in January.
One senior professor said he was not convinced that a “viable, long-term vision” for the university now existed.
He added, “The settlement is unsatisfactory because, as in the last eight months, none of the major professors at Abertay has been consulted and asked for input before a decision was reached.
“I think that it is very revealing in this respect that all of this activity is occurring in the middle of the summer, when most faculty members are away or focusing on their research.”