Saturday, 24 September 2011

Call to stop any merger of Abertay University with the University of Dundee

I am quoted in today's Courier indicating my concerns that the SNP government is trying to bulldoze Dundee's two universities into a merger and there are significant detrimental implications from such a merger in terms of course availability and staffing.   

It would indeed be a sad day if the number of universities in the city dropped to one.  Both our universities are dynamic institutions but their focus is rightly different and they complement one another. 

I would add that not only would a merger of Dundee’s two universities would be bad news for the city, I am asking exactly where did this proposal figure in the SNP manifesto at May’s parliamentary elections?   Of course, it did not feature, and the SNP has no mandate to force a merger of Dundee’s two universities. 

It should be stressed that the Scottish Government has failed completely to make any sort of business case for merging the two universities.   I am highly sceptical that there is any benefit to Dundee by the merger of the University of Dundee with Abertay University and I call on the two Dundee SNP MSPs to disown the merger proposal as it is clearly not in Dundee’s interests.

There is already a Save Abertay University Forum on Facebook and an e-petition against any merger has, in a very short space of time, already attracted nearly 400 signatures.   You can sign the petition by going to http://tiny.cc/abertay