Dundee University spent £75k recruiting principal Atherton costs:

EDUCATION: Flat renovation and £40k relocation allowance add up

Dundee University spent £75,000 headhunting and testing a former principal to make sure he was up to the job only for him to quit after less than a year.

The institution, which also spent nearly £73,000 renovating a luxury flat for Professor Andrew Atherton to live in, spent £75,000 on the recruitment process carried out to find a successor to Professor Sir Pete Downes.

Professor Atherton joined Dundee in January this year but was suspended in September amid a row over unpaid rent on his flat in University House and accusations of bullying.

He formally resigned in November but will stay at University House until the end of February.

It has now emerged the university also paid £75,000 recruiting Professor Atherton.

The money was spend on costs including advertising, headhunting and “psychometric testing and evaluation of the candidates.”

Despite the in-depth recruitment, Dundee University blamed differing “aspirations” for Professor Atherton’s resignation in November.

A Dundee University spokesman told The Times the costs associated with recruiting Professor Atherton were “similar to those for senior executive posts across the public and private sector, particularly when incorporating psychometric testing and evaluation of candidates”.

Professor Atherton, 53, was employed on a salary of £254,000 while pension contributions brought his total remuneration package up to around £298,000.

But Professor Atherton’s short tenure in charge of the university has cost it around £500,000.

He received the bulk of his salary for 2019 and was also given a £40,000 “disruption allowance” to help meet the cost of moving to Dundee from Lancaster, where he was vice-principal.

Following his resignation £23,419 of this was paid back but he was paid six months’ salary in lieu of notice equivalent to £127,250, £8,565 for outstanding leave and pension contributions of £8,565.

The university also spent £72,746.21 renovating the residential flat at University House for use by Professor Atherton and his family.

The renovation work included installing a new kitchen after the previous one was removed prior to Professor Atherton’s arrival, and putting in new lights and carpets.

Dundee University reported a £9.1 million deficit last year, one of the largest of any Scottish university.

Professor Andrew Antherton’s short tenure as Dundee University principal has been a regrettable episode. His resignation last month opened up a can of worms that suggested the institution was not in quite as good shape as it might want, or profess, to be.

It has since emerged hundreds of thousands of pounds were spent in recruiting Professor Atherton to his role and in renovating his family quarters at University House.

His departure has been a painful experience for all involved. And one from which lessons must be learned.