The former principal of Dundee University has offered a “heartfelt apology” to its students and staff, but defended not paying back a £150,000 exit payment.
Prof Iain Gillespie resigned from the university in December, shortly after revealing the institution’s eight-figure deficit and a warning of hundreds of job losses.
He told Holyrood’s education committee he was “not a coward” for walking away but had failed in his role to “take responsibility” as accounting officer and principal.
Gillespie was heavily criticised over his role in the university’s financial crisis in a recent independent report led by Prof Pamela Gillies.
The report said Prof Gillespie had an “overbearing leadership style” and a dislike of potentially awkward questioning and confrontations.
The professor said the Gillies Report had been a “forensic piece of work” but he “did not recognise” the description of his management style.
The report said the main causes for the university’s £35m deficit included poor financial judgement from university management.
Prof Gillespie told MSPs he accepted the fact that his view of the university’s finances were “incorrect” but insisted he did not have “the full picture.”
Asked by committee chairman Douglas Ross if he was a “coward” for “walking away into the sunset” after “creating this mess”, Prof Gillespie replied: “That’s for other people to comment on, I don’t think I’m a coward.”
He said he resigned as “the buck stops here” but defended not handing back the six months salary he received after leaving in December.
“That was a contractual obligation from my employer to me,” he said.
“It was not in my thought process to repay a financial obligation.”
Pushed by Ross on the matter of repaying the money, Prof Gillespie said: “I definitely understand how painful this is and that people are angry.
