Lecturers back suspension of 'dictatorial' Abertay head

The college and university union UCU said concern had been growing about Abertay University's management style for some time.

Of particular concern was a lack of consultation with staff at the Dundee institution about impending changes.

Union spokesman Tony Axon claimed decisions were coming down from the top rather than being discussed in the expected collegiate way.

The latest comments came after staff were told on Monday that Professor Bernard King had been suspended by the university's court, its governing body.

It followed a previous suspension - not by the court - of vice-principal Professor Nicholas Terry, on what the university is saying is an "unrelated" matter.

Mr Axon said the UCU was worried by the "power vacuum" that had now emerged at Abertay, but supported the university court in acting to suspend the principal.

Two years ago, at its Scottish congress, the UCU criticised Prof King's plans for a performance management system. It said he had introduced "an excessively authoritarian and overly managerialist regime that is already impacting on lecturers' academic freedoms".

As well as being suspended from his 222,000-a-year post, Prof King has removed himself from his role as convenor of representative group Universities Scotland. Edinburgh principal Tim O'Shea has stepped into that role as the current deputy.

Prof King, who has been principal at Abertay for 19 years, is Scotland's longest-serving university leader. Prof Steve Olivier, a senior member of the university's management team, has been appointed acting principal.

Sources at the university said there had been disagreement between Prof King and Prof Terry over the future direction of the university.

It is widely acknowledged that Prof King has transformed the former technical college into a world-renowned computer gaming centre. However, it is understood others wanted to focus on other areas, such as business and science.

There was also concern that Prof King wanted to stay on in the post after he turned 65 next year. But sources say the court was keen for him not to remain.

A source said: "There are some quite big issues behind it all, but what sparked it off was the issue of retirement."Professor King suspended Nicholas Terry and the response was to suspend King.

"I think King suspended the vice-principal and the court has suspended him in a bit of tit-for-tat."

Another source suggested there was disquiet over strategy, with substantial sums being spent on building improvements and a strong focus on video games-related activities at a time when the industry has been struggling.

Abertay confirmed it will bring in an independent investigator to look into the issues surrounding the suspension.

An external investigator will be asked to carry out the inquiry on behalf of the university court, and would be given power to interview witnesses.

The university has just over 500 full-time equivalent staff, whose salaries make up more than half its spending, and about 5,000 students.

Abertay has acquired a reputation for the quality of its research in areas including computing and environmental sciences, but the latest round of grants from the Scottish Funding Council saw it hit with a big reduction in teaching grant and research funding.

At the time, Prof King warned that savings would have to be made and some services might have to be cut.

A cost-cutting programme has been under way for some time, and although Abertay made a surplus of about 440,000 in the 2009-10 academic year, that was about half the previous year's sum.

Its acknowledged maintaining an operating surplus would be a "major challenge" in the face of spending cuts.