You may have read reports in the Herald today regarding initial plans by the University to address our cost reduction priorities. As I set out in my talks to staff in the autumn, Court has asked Senior Management Group to produce an initial plan to close a potential funding gap of around £35M. The scale of the funding challenge requires a shared and University wide response and one which reflects our strategic objectives.

A paper is going to Court next week outlining SMG's progress in closing this projected gap. We are determined to close part of it through additional income generation.

The paper also includes asking Court to allow SMG to commence a number of consultations in some academic areas. This will sit alongside commensurate reductions in costs in university services. Over the past few days, and as a courtesy, all affected areas were informed about the contents of the paper. As you may perhaps have seen in the Herald some details of the paper have now been leaked to the press.

As set out in the paper, no decisions will be taken on these consultations, until a meeting of Court in May. This will allow Senate to have an input into the debate at its April meeting. Throughout this process and beyond, we will remain committed to supporting our students and to maintaining the quality of the student experience.

It is important to stress that all Universities are undergoing similar reviews of their provision, which are a direct result of current and projected future cuts in HE funding in Scotland. Our funding gap, and equivalent ones across all Scottish Universities, is entirely due to public policy decisions.

We will therefore continue to lobby all political parties hard for a HE funding policy based not on promises about the nature of funding, but above all about securing a level of funding which will reverse recent cuts and keep our Universities competitive with those in England and elsewhere.

 

Anton Muscatelli

Principal

 

First published: 9 February 2011

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