By Hannah-Rose Lloyd
University of Aberdeen Principal Peter Edwards has cautioned against discussing suicide after being questioned over the staff deaths in 1988.
His comments come as the University and College Union (UCU) has described the situation facing staff as a “Health and wellbeing
crisis”. Over 110 roles at the university are at risk due to the University’s Adapting for Continued Success Programme.
Concerns over the impact of the University’s current financial difficulties on staff have raised comparisons with the turmoil of the 1980s, which saw redundancies and department closures.
Three University lecturers, named Dr Nicola Mackie, Dr Donald Byrne and Richard Hallett, died by suicide in 1988. In a letter seen by The Gaudie, Mackie’s mother cited the cause of her death as her sense of responsibility to the classics department at the university.
Principal Edwards joined the university just months after the death of the lectures and the closing of the classics and physics department. In an exclusive interview with The Gaudie, Professor Edwards remembered that his “academic area, computing science, when I joined the university was in expansion.”
“It had just received a significant investment to grow the department. We expanded the number of staff in computing science.”
Edwards defended the measures in place to protect staff, saying senior management “continue to spend a great deal of time” considering the impact of the programme on staff wellbeing and morale.
“That has been built into all the considerations around the programme”, he added.
The Principal said the University takes safeguarding staff “incredibly seriously”, citing the Health and Safety Committee, which includes trade union representation and regularly discusses staff wellbeing and stress.
He noted the University’s “extensive support framework” for staff and students, with available services regularly signposted.
The Principal maintained that the support available to staff today distinguishes the current situation from the University’s previous financial crisis.
“We’re in a very, very different world now,”
“The support that exists at the University for our staff is totally different to the support that would have existed 40 years ago.”
Dan Cutts, UCU co-chair for Aberdeen and university lecturer, has told The Gaudie that “Nothing has happened to address the underlying concerns that staff have been raising for months.”
One staff member has cited that “I do casework for the union, and we see that mental health has been a big issue for a long time.”
The Gaudie revealed that a survey that was removed from the annual reports showed a 35% decrease in staff satisfaction in 2025.
Last year, a Governance Efficiency Review into the structures at the university found that there was a “toxic” staff culture.
Referring to the deaths of the three academics, Edwards said: “I would caution everyone against using language talking about suicide” because of the potential impact on individual wellbeing.
He added: “Talking about suicide, for example, can be triggering for individuals”.
Edwards declined to comment on correspondence from Dr Mackie’s mother linking her daughter’s death to pressures surrounding cuts to the Classics department.
He said it would “not be appropriate” for him to discuss the “specifics of an individual case” and “circumstances that happened 40 years ago”.
The Principal’s comments came days before his end-of-year summer message to University staff, which celebrated progress across the institution.
The message acknowledged a period of “important changes” which could feel “difficult” and “unsettling”, but made no explicit reference to recent industrial action, proposed job losses, or the University’s financial difficulties.
Edwards highlighted his ‘Conversations with the Principal’ sessions, saying meetings had helped him understand “what is working well and where challenges remain”.
He said issues raised by staff, including mental health support and accessibility, are already informing University action.
You can listen to the The Gaudie’s exclusive interview with Principal Pete Edwards here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2bLJtQJhoOP76NPPmygwPx?si=RmU6O5l_TRWjAUaS8M3-Dw
