by Fred Byrne & Amelia Boag McGlynn.
This Halloween, Professor George Boyne retired from his role as Principal of the University of Aberdeen, handing over the title and institution to Professor Peter Edwards, an Aberdeen academic and member of the Senior Management Team (SMT).
In his tumultuous seven years as Principal, Boyne led the ancient institution through periods of change such as Brexit, the Covid pandemic, and sector-wide struggles involving major financial difficulties across Scottish universities.
The native Aberdonian was paid a salary of around £295,000 per annum and resided in the Chanonry Lodge opposite St Machar Cathedral.
Prof Boyne was no stranger to controversy under his leadership. In 2023, he WhatsApp-ed SMT colleagues that staff participating in a marking and assessment boycott should feel financial “pain along the way”. The University responded recognising the “unfortunate” choice of words.
Later, in what union officials described as “academic vandalism”, SMT aimed to slash language courses and staff, prompting wide-spread attention and condemnation, and an internal report which found “missteps”. Attention and pressure from across the country including from Humza Yousaf (the First Minister at the time), constructed a ‘Save the Languages’ campaign that saw the salvaging of modern languages degrees.
Over the summer, The Herald published reports of staff bullying, outlining how the Principal had questioned the expertise of a less senior female colleague at a staff meeting.
In the last week, a further The Herald story by former The Gaudie Editor-in-Chief, Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco, highlighted the power struggle between SMT and other staff detailed in a governance report shared with staff. The academic Senate meetings were criticised for reports of “intimidating behaviour” and a “toxic culture”. Former senators, who are current staff members, spoke out against this unhealthy environment, but chose to remain anonymous due to fear of repercussions.
In attempts to address past controversies, The Gaudie has requested sit-down interviews and comments from George Boyne several times in recent years. However, for his last five years as Principal, he declined answering questions from student reporters in-person.
“The reason for this is clear,” commented Josh. He continued:
“We offered George Boyne no quarter in our assessment of his tenure. From ‘pain along the way’ to modern language cuts, we held senior management accountable, time and time again. It’s no surprise that he has remained elusive.”
The Gaudie has played an important role in holding SMT responsible for their controversial decisions, acting as a driving force for reporting on issues such as the Whatsapp message scandal, the ‘Save the Languages’ campaign and the SMT exodus.
In March, it was announced that Boyne would be retiring after seven years as Principal. The Gaudie took this opportunity to arrange an in-person interview with the University’s leader, scheduled for December. This meeting was cancelled when Prof Edwards was designated as UoA’s new Principal. A rescheduled interview to fall within Boyne’s remaining time in the role were not arranged. However, the former Principal offered brief written answers to our select questions over email as he left to retire.
Prof Boyne characterised his leadership as having “a strong focus on the regional and global benefits of our education and research; practical benefits in addition to the inherent academic quality of the work itself.”
Reflecting on his Aberdonian heritage, Prof Boyne shared that as an Aberdeen native he had “a strong sense of the University’s role as one of the major institutions in the city and the North East.” He was “pleased” to have “strengthened links to civic, business and community organisations here.”
When asked whether he regrets missteps in targeting the school of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture for budget cuts, he shared that, in hindsight, SMT should have “taken action at an earlier stage to adapt to declining levels and different patterns of student demand as it may have made it possible to adapt at a less rapid pace.”
An anonymous staff member blames Prof Boyne for a lack of forward planning in a commentary published online by The Gaudie. The staff member shared that “there was no diversification of revenue streams, and a heavy focus was placed on recruiting international students” describing SMT’s financial strategy as “international students or bust.”
Under Boyne’s leadership, University of Aberdeen has expanded to several international outposts, for example in Mumbai and Doha to help bring in revenue.
The anonymous commentary continues: “Those who survived his seven years bear the scars of financial mismanagement, a disastrous lack of interest in fundraising and a dictatorial approach that brooked no dissent, up to and including his former Senior Vice-Principal.”
In July, George Boyne’s number two, Professor Karl Leydecker, retired after a three month absence following the announcement of promotion freezes to save money.
Responding to a question on staff bullying and his hopes for the future of staff culture, he said the recently completed governance efficiency review “has lots of good recommendations,” adding “the University works best when the parts of our governance structure communicate effectively and work together.”
The report on governance was recently shared with University staff and was compiled by an external consultancy, SUMS. It states:
“Significant cultural and behavioural challenges are undermining the effectiveness and credibility of governance. A lack of trust between Senate, the Executive, and Court—marked by strained relationships and perceived power struggles—has created a fragmented and adversarial environment. Divisions between independent and internal members of Court, unclear roles and responsibilities, and inconsistent meeting etiquette further erode confidence in governance processes.”
However, Boyne has often blamed tensions on the University’s financial deficit, pointing to the poor policy of Scottish and British governments as having left higher education institutions struggling to cope. As UCEA chair, Boyne knew of difficulties across UK Universities. He reflected:
“I’m pleased that the UK government is supporting universities in England by linking an annual uplift in the undergraduate fee to a measure of inflation; I’d like to see the Scottish Government make the same commitment to a multi-year annual increase in the level of funding per student it provides. This would help Scottish universities to plan more effectively and provide greater financial stability.”
On 31 October, Prof Boyne retired and Prof Edwards took over on 1 November.
As new Principal, Prof Edwards issued a statement to students following his first day in the role. He expressed:
“I’m extremely proud of our University and the role we play in our local community and in the regional economy. I’m equally proud of our national and international status as a world-leading research university. I wish you every success for your time with us in Aberdeen as our University moves into its next stage of evolution.”