ANDREW BATCHELOR: UoD’s recent achievements deserve to be shouted about
Over the last couple of years, the University of Dundee has rarely been out of the headlines, and unfortunately, much of that attention has been for the wrong reasons.
The financial crisis, uncertainty over jobs, proposed cuts to courses and the future of much-loved institutions have understandably dominated conversations across the city.
It’s been an incredibly difficult period for staff, students and everyone who cares about the university. And I don’t think anyone should pretend otherwise.
But over the last few weeks, I’ve noticed something else happening.
Some genuinely remarkable news has been coming out of the University of Dundee. The kind of news that, under normal circumstances, would have people celebrating across the city.
And I think it’s time we gave those achievements the attention they deserve.
Just look at what Dundee has achieved
Let’s start with the university rankings.
Despite everything the institution has been through, the University of Dundee has climbed into the top 20 universities in the UK, according to the 2027 Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide.
Think about that for a moment.
At a time when the university has been dealing with one of the most challenging periods in its history, its students and staff have helped it achieve a place among the country’s top 20 institutions.
And that’s only the beginning.
Earlier this month, Dundee researchers announced their involvement in a major international clinical trial investigating whether a more personalised approach to treating Parkinson’s disease could slow its progression.
The research builds on years of work carried out here in Dundee, particularly into a protein called LRRK2 and its role in the disease.
There are currently no approved treatments that slow the progression of Parkinson’s, so the potential significance of this research is enormous.
Of course, it’s still a clinical trial, and nobody can guarantee the outcome. But the fact that Dundee researchers are helping take this science from the laboratory into trials involving patients is something worth recognising.
Then came another announcement.
University researchers have developed new AI-assisted tools designed to help reduce bias and misunderstandings in criminal investigations across Europe.
The Dundee-led Clarus Project has brought together expertise from several European countries, developing resources that could improve how digital evidence is communicated between police forces, forensic scientists and the justice system.
And then, just when you thought the university couldn’t produce another piece of good news, its School of Dentistry was named the best in the UK in the new Dentistry.co.uk 2027 rankings.
First place.
Ahead of Queen’s University Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow and Sheffield.
Four remarkable achievements, all highlighting the talent, expertise and dedication that continue to exist within the University of Dundee.
Yet I sometimes wonder whether these stories are getting the recognition they deserve.
The problems haven’t disappeared
Now, before anyone misunderstands what I’m saying, none of these achievements means the university’s problems have suddenly disappeared.
Far from it.
The financial situation remains serious. Jobs have been lost, further changes are being considered, and there are genuine concerns about the future of courses, research and other university services.
There are staff members who have dedicated years, sometimes decades, of their lives to the institution who have faced enormous uncertainty.
There are students who deserve reassurance about their education and the future of their university.
And there are questions about leadership, accountability and the decisions that allowed the situation to become so serious in the first place.
Those questions absolutely deserve answers.
I have never believed that being proud of an institution means refusing to criticise it.
In fact, sometimes the opposite is true. When you care deeply about something, you want to see it do better.
But I also believe there’s a difference between holding an institution accountable and allowing its difficulties to completely overshadow everything good happening within it.
Because behind every university headline are people.
Researchers making discoveries. Lecturers inspiring students. Support staff keeping everything running. Students working incredibly hard to build their futures.
Those people deserve recognition, especially now.
Remember when people feared the university would collapse?
I remember just how frightening the situation became when the university’s financial difficulties first emerged.
There were genuine fears about whether the institution could survive. Some people even suggested that, by this point, the University of Dundee might no longer exist in its current form.
And while those concerns reflected the seriousness of the crisis, I’m glad that hasn’t happened.
The university is still here.
It’s still welcoming students, conducting research, contributing to Dundee’s economy and making discoveries with the potential to change lives.
There is now a recovery strategy in place, supported by Scottish Government funding, aimed at putting the institution on a more sustainable financial footing.
That doesn’t mean the recovery is complete, or that every decision being made is necessarily the right one.
But there are signs of progress.
And after everything that has happened, I think it’s reasonable to feel some cautious optimism about the university’s future.
The Botanic Garden showed what Dundee can achieve together
One of the moments that has stayed with me most throughout this entire situation has been the campaign to protect Dundee’s Botanic Garden.
When proposals emerged that could have resulted in its closure, I knew it was something Dundee Culture had to highlight.
I was told about a petition calling for the garden to be saved, and it was sent to me by the petition organiser, Frances Smith.
At the time, it had just six signatures.
Six.
I shared it through Dundee Culture because I knew how much the Botanic Garden meant to people across the city.
What happened next was extraordinary.
The petition gathered thousands of signatures, eventually reaching around 20,000 people calling for the garden’s future to be protected.
It was one of those moments that reminded me just how powerful a community can be when people come together around something they genuinely care about.
Of course, Dundee Culture was only one part of a much wider effort involving campaigners, staff, supporters and people who refused to see the garden disappear.
But knowing that sharing a petition with just six signatures helped bring attention to something that would become such a significant campaign is something I’ll always be proud of.
And there has since been some encouraging news.
The University of Dundee has confirmed that basic operational funding for the Botanic Garden will continue until July 2027, giving the community and other stakeholders more time to explore ways of securing its long-term future.
It’s not a permanent solution, and there’s still plenty of work ahead.
But it’s an important lifeline.
And it demonstrates why public engagement, scrutiny and community action matter.
Dundee needs its university to succeed
I’ve always believed the University of Dundee is one of the city’s most important institutions.
Its influence stretches far beyond the campus.
It supports employment, attracts students from around the world, contributes to the local economy and helps put Dundee on the international map through research, education and innovation.
But beyond all of that, it’s part of Dundee’s identity.
The city has built an extraordinary reputation for discoveries and pioneering achievements, and the university has played an important role in continuing that story.
That’s why its future matters so much.
I don’t want the university’s financial crisis to be forgotten, because lessons need to be learned and people deserve accountability.
But equally, I don’t want an entire institution to be defined solely by its darkest period.
Not when researchers are helping investigate potential new treatments for Parkinson’s.
Not when Dundee-led technology could help improve criminal investigations across Europe.
Not when its dental school is topping national rankings.
And certainly not when the university has managed to reach the UK’s top 20 despite everything it has been through.
Those achievements belong to the staff, students and researchers who have continued doing incredible work under extraordinarily difficult circumstances.
They deserve to be celebrated.
There is still so much worth fighting for
Perhaps the biggest lesson from the last couple of years is just how much the University of Dundee means to this city.
People have campaigned, protested, signed petitions, asked difficult questions and demanded better because they care about its future.
And that’s something I find encouraging.
The university still has a difficult road ahead. There will undoubtedly be more challenging decisions, difficult conversations and uncertainty before it can truly say it has recovered.
But I hope the recent achievements remind people of what is at stake.
We’re not simply talking about buildings, budgets or university rankings.
We’re talking about an institution filled with talented people whose work can make a difference to lives far beyond Dundee.
So yes, let’s continue asking questions. Let’s keep holding decision-makers accountable. And let’s keep fighting to protect the things that make the university special.
But please, let’s not forget to celebrate the incredible things coming out of it too.
Because after everything the University of Dundee has been through, its achievements deserve to be noticed.
And I, for one, am incredibly proud that they’re happening right here in the City of Discovery.
