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Dundee University job cuts 'horrific' - Lorraine Kelly

Getty Images Lorraine Kelly has shoulder length brown hair with a fringe. She smiles at the camera.Getty Images
Lorraine Kelly was rector of the university and has an honorary degree from Dundee

TV presenter Lorraine Kelly has warned the "horrific" job losses at Dundee University will have a ripple effect across the city.

Staff were informed of plans to cut 632 posts - about 20% of the workforce - by interim principal Shane O'Neill at a meeting on Tuesday.

The move, which will affect every school and directorate, is designed to address a £35m deficit.

Former rector Kelly, who is also an honorary graduate, told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime that the university had been a "big part" of her life.

She said: "If the university suffers, it has a massive effect on the city itself.

"I keep thinking about all of the people who are going to lose their jobs - incredible people who have got such knowledge to onto their students.

"Education is cut to the bone anyway, so adding this on top makes me fear for the future of the university and it makes me incredibly sad.

"And for the people who work there and are going to lose their jobs, it's horrific."

PA Media Lorraine Kelly looks out of a carriage window and waves. She is wearing red and blue robes. People stand behind the carriage also wearing red and blue robes.PA Media
Lorraine Kelly served as rector between 2004 and 2007

Kelly also warned that the impact of the news was not confined to the campus.

She said: "Even financially, some businesses really rely on the staff and students.

"And it's all of these pubs and restaurants that make the city vibrant.

"The students at the university bring a buzz to the city and it's a great place to meet friends.

"Dundee has got this global reputation, especially in life sciences.

"If you're cutting 20% of your staff and cutting all of that experience and all that knowledge, it's got to have an effect."

Kelly, who hosts Lorraine on ITV, added: "Given how far the university has come, to see this happen really is heartbreaking."

'Unstable position'

Former principal Prof Iain Gillespie told staff in November that job losses were "inevitable" and blamed "an extremely challenging period" for the UK higher education sector.

On Tuesday the university also confirmed an external investigation would be conducted into "what went wrong".

It also itted that the scale of staff cuts meant that it was "very unlikely" that compulsory redundancies will be avoided.

The University and College Union (UCU) Scotland said the announcement was a "hammer-blow to hard working and committed workers".

A man with dark hair and facial hair smiles at the camera. He wears a navy jacket and grey backpack. A street scene is blurred behind him and it is a bright sunny day.
Laksh Joshi said students were worried about the state of the university

Students at Dundee University told BBC Scotland News they were concerned about their degrees and the future of the university.

Laksh Joshi, a third year physics student, said: "Even just within the city, people are asking how Dundee has gone down the drain so badly.

"My brother is going to university soon and up until this year I would've encouraged him to apply to Dundee.

"But now looking at the news with all the cuts, I couldn't really recommend Dundee and I wouldn't stay for a masters because you don't really know what's on the horizon.

"Why would you apply to a university that's in such an unstable position":[]}