DUNDEE University has been accused of “academic and economic vandalism” after it announced that hundreds of people could lose their jobs.

Fears have been raised of the institution collapsing after it revealed a £35 million deficit, triggering plans to cut 632 full-time equivalent jobs.

In a letter to the Scottish Parliament’s education committee on Monday, interim principal Professor Shane O’Neill said the job cuts were likely to affect around 700 people — a fifth of the workforce.

The Scottish Funding Council recently approved £22 million in emergency funding and launched an external probe into what caused the crisis.

University and Colleges Union (UCU) Scotland’s Mary Senior said: “Sacking over 700 staff at Dundee University is tantamount to academic and economic vandalism.

“This level of job cuts would be catastrophic for the city of Dundee and the surrounding area.

“We cannot let this destruction go ahead. The funding already announced by the Scottish government and funding council is a start to prevent these cuts.”

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “Cuts on this scale being planned by university senior management will have a devastating impact, not just on the university’s future, but also on the city and the local economy. 

“University senior managers need to listen to what staff are telling them, rule out compulsory redundancies and engage with the union to find a better way forward that avoids irreparable damage before it is too late.”

Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman said the cuts were “worse than many of us expected,” adding: “It is a shocking act of vandalism that will pile further crisis on the institution.

“The sense of betrayal will be felt by staff and students all across the campus and beyond.

“And of course, this number doesn’t reflect the over 200 vacancies that currently exist and won’t be filled.”