Senior Vice-Principal Karl Leydecker has become the fourth senior manager to announce their departure from University of Aberdeen (UoA) this academic year.
Secretary & COO Tracey Slaven left for Cumbria University in November, prompting UoA to split her job into two positions.
Meanwhile, Director of People Debbie Dyker left in May after 33 years serving in the institution.
Prof Leydeckers’ decision to step down after an almost three-month absence from his job is the latest in a wave of senior management team (SMT) resignations.
The announcement comes as the University tells staff it is struggling to find a replacement for Principal George Boyne, who in February announced his departure by the end of 2025.
Prof Boyne said of his seven-year tenure, which saw him lead the ancient University through the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit and sector-wide financial challenges, “It has been the honour of my life.”
Originally appointed until 2028, the UoA chief decided to retire earlier than planned following reports of staff bullying. Previously, the Aberdonian Principal had drawn criticism for messaging colleagues that staff on strike should feel ‘pain along the way’.
Both Professors Boyne and Leydecker were behind missteps in targeting language courses and jobs to tackle a budget deficit, which sparked protests and international attention.
Student campaigner Rhiannon Ledwell said she was “thrilled to rid ourselves of the top individuals behind last year’s horrid cuts to languages,” adding that the Celtic Society, which she presides over, “is celebrating.”
The Gaelic student accused SMT of “running the University like a business rather than a charity.”
On April 17th, UoA announced a pause to all staff promotions and a continued hiring freeze.
Since the announcement, Prof Leydecker had been away from work with no email replies and absences from key meetings, according to multiple sources.
An anonymous staff member told The Gaudie about “rumours of a major row between Karl Leydecker and George Boyne over the decision to cancel the current promotions round – a decision it is believed that Karl thought was a mistake.”
Three months into Prof Leydecker’s absence, The Gaudie requested an update on his job status, and his resignation was announced later the same day.
A UoA spokesperson said on the matter, “we don’t [comment] on individual staffing matters.”
In a memo sent to staff, Prof Boyne thanked Prof Leydecker for his “unwavering support and commitment,” highlighting his role in developing Aberdeen 2040, environmental goals, and academic reputation.
Ex-student officer Rhiannon shared, “I am hopeful that Boyne and Leydecker’s replacements will show initiative to work with students and staff, rather than taking a top-down approach.”
The University has been searching for a new Principal, but told staff yesterday that their preferred candidate withdrew due to “a change in circumstances,” leading officials to “pause and refocus” their headhunt for UoA’s new leader.
The Students’ Union (SU) shared a statement from Student President Christina Schmid:
“We’re sorry to see Prof Leydecker leave and reflect positively on our working relationship. Following the Save UoA Languages campaign, we valued his willingness to engage with students and the SU.
“We also thank Principal Boyne for his leadership during a challenging period for the higher education sector. His role in navigating the University through financial pressures and his engagement with the SU have been appreciated.
“As we look ahead to the appointment of a new Principal, we’re hopeful that the successful candidate will prioritise building a strong relationship with the student body and will place the student experience at the heart of their leadership to cultivate an inclusive University community.”
So what are you saying? Don’t cut languages jobs teaching a handful of students; cut professional services, because they’re not academics, so they don’t matter so much?
To say that the University should be run like a charity rather than a business shows a spectacular level of naiveté. Universities are charities in the loosest possible sense, and spending more money than you take in is not sustainable, whether you are a charity or a business. Equally unsustainable is selling something (language courses) that almost nobody is willing to pay for anymore.
It’s all very well to say that a university contributes to culture, and it would be lovely if that bestowed some kind of exemption from bills and wear and tear on infrastructure, but it doesn’t.
Heat and light cost money, cleaning, waste and recycling cost money, building maintenance costs money – LOTS of money. To say that a university should not be run like a business demonstrates a willful lack of understanding of the problems facing our ancient institutions struggling to survive in a changing world
Your comment shows a spectacular lack of understanding of last year’s proposed cuts – a process that was investigated officially and found to be unfairly targeting a particular discipline, and based on poorly compiled data – among other glaring issues. Parts of this report are available now. In any case, campaigning resulted in Modern Languages staff being provided the opportunity to come together and generate proposals for income generation – an opportunity that never would have been provided without the hard work of student and staff campaigners. In fact, I read this week that a whole round of PhD funding for next year was brought in for the creative industries across the uni – Brought by the Gaelic department, and that the same department hosted a prestigious conference at the uni with Gaelic and Irish delegates, paid for by the Irish consulate I believe, and generating income for the uni. The creativity of staff is finding ways to generate income while preserving culture at the University. Cutting your way to growth does not work. My studies of economics have taught me that much.
Also, nowhere did I see a suggestion that the University should cut professional services staff.