University of Dundee chiefs were given an astonishing three-hour grilling by politicians in Holyrood on Wednesday.
The scale of the crisis at the institution – facing more than 600 job losses – was laid bare during an evidence session held by the Scottish Parliament’s education committee.
The Courier’s political editor Alasdair Clark has covered the university’s troubles extensively since they emerged last year.
He was in the room as members of the leadership team had their say on the turmoil – and these are the revelations.
1. Principal asked about criminality
Perhaps unsurprisingly, MSPs on the committee were keen to understand exactly what has gone wrong.
But as the excruciating details were drawn out of the senior team of Dundee University bosses, one question hung over the room. Has there been criminality?
Interim principal Shane O’Neill has admitted serious errors were made and that the understanding of the financial picture was not good enough.
Mr O’Neill added: “I haven’t seen any evidence, and nobody with any professional expertise in the area has alerted me to that [criminality].
“We’re asking those questions. So we’re open to that.”
It will now be an open question for the external investigation into the saga.
2. Cash could run out in June
The Courier has reported previously on the stark situation facing the university.
In an exclusive interview, the principal spelled out how without radical cuts it could even cease to exist.
But in a breath-taking moment, it was admitted that insolvency was a “real possibility”.
Without the lifeline cash made available from government, the institution could even have run out of cash by June.
Acting court chair Tricia Bey said: “Without the very welcome liquidity support of the SFC (Scottish Funding Council), we would have run out cash at the end of June.
“The legal element of this, as our advice has been from our lawyers, that we do have to bear in mind the possibility that we become insolvent.
“And it is a real possibility.”
3. ‘Cover-up’ or incompetence?
The politicians grilling Mr O’Neill and his colleagues attempted to find out who had known what and when.
The professor, who was deputy principal until taking on the top job in December when Iain Gillespie quit, admitted it was only in November last year the scale of the problem was revealed.
Prior to that, he said there had been an “understanding” the university was “close to break even”.
He said: “I can tell you there was misleading information, there was a false assumption towards the end of the last financial year we were close to break even.
“That did not turn out to be the case, we were well off break even position and that only became clear in November.”
But why did the university’s team of executive leaders not know there was an issue sooner, and why the governing court not spot an issue?
Mr O’Neill admitted there was incompetency but stopped short of suggesting a cover-up.
Ms Bey said the external investigation would reveal more, adding: “Whether this is incompetence or whether things have been deliberately kept from filtering upwards, because at the moment we don’t know the intention behind it.”
Dundee West MSP Joe Fitzpatrick says he doesn’t believe it is credible that managers did not know there was a problem.
He said: “We know that in April 2024, the university court was told that international student recruitment was ‘significantly behind previously planned levels,’ so it is just not credible for those involved to claim they weren’t aware of a serious problem.”
4. Finance director’s shock discovery
Some of the most devastating evidence for the university came from interim finance director Helen Simpson, who took up post on November 8.
Her fears for the institution emerged on her first day in the job.
“On arriving at the university I was extremely concerned about what I found, she said.
“I was concerned about the financial position, I was also concerned about the cash position.
“I raised that concern at the end of the first day I started at the university.”
And her new colleagues were worried too.
She described how two senior accountants shared their concerns with her directly at the end of her first day.
But Ms Simpson claims she had not been told there was a problem.
The finance chief alleges, during her interview with Mr Gillespie, she was told she would only have to make minor changes.
“I was very clearly told to update the financial strategy and update one or two business processes,” she said, revealing the university felt it had been “well served” by her predecessor.
“Well served?” Douglas Ross MSP asked.
“How does someone one day in the job seemingly know more than you as the deputy principal?”, Mr Ross asked Mr O’Neill.
5. Senior execs removed from court
MSPs also heard how senior staff who had previously attended meetings of the governing body were instructed they could no longer attend.
Vice Principal Blair Grubb claimed to the committee that Mr Gillespie and the former chair Amanda Millar decided he and the other vice principals should no longer attend.
Sources told The Courier this decision was also made by chief operating officer Jim McGeorge, on leave from the job.
Speaking about the culture at the university, North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie said: “The oppressive environment at the top of Dundee University prevented alarm bells from being raised.
“It shut down any questioning about the performance of the university and the evident financial problems.”
Mr Gillespie has been invited to appear before MSPs alongside former finance chief Peter Fotheringham.
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