Anger at shock Abertay merger proposal

Abertay University students have begun protests after it emerged that the Scottish Government is considering a merger of Dundee’s two universities.

Both Abertay and nearby Dundee University have received letters from the government asking them to start exploring how a potential merger would work, according to ScottishGames.net

The correspondence comes after a government white paper proposed merging universities if it makes “financial and academic sense to do so”.

Now the university’s student association has begun a ‘Hands Off Abertay’ campaign.

The group claims the merger is “an unprecedented and highly inappropriate move from the Scottish Funding Council that represents a very real and tangible threat to Abertay’s future as an independent, innovative and excelling university – and it is the students that will suffer in the long term".

An online petition is calling on Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council to commit to protect access to university, maintain Abertay learning’s environment and protect Abertay students’ contribution to the city of Dundee.

The petition can be found here.

Abertay University is widely applauded for its games education initiatives, particularly the work-intensive Dare to be Digital campaign.