EXCLUSIVE: Three UHI Perth staff fly to China as university tackles financial crisis
Three UHI Perth staff members flew to China during the £2 million financial crisis at the university.
The Courier can reveal two employees travelled to far-east Asia on Wednesday while another was already in the country for a holiday.
Principal Dr Margaret Cook was originally supposed to join them but has stayed at home for 'health reasons'.
It's understood she is currently on a leave of absence.
UHI Perth confirmed £8,000 of university cash had been budgeted for the trip abroad.
The staff members will be in China for around 10 days each, 'depending on individual travel arrangements'.
Nicky Inglis, the director of curriculum for business and science, is leading the foreign visit.
He will represent UHI Perth at three graduations for the university college's students in China.
The senior staff member will also attend business meetings to discuss the institution's international programmes.
Mr Inglis is being accompanied by Heidi Hope, a sector manager who is exploring new academic opportunities for UHI Perth in China.
Lin Shen, the university's director of partnerships, is also abroad as a translator and to 'explore new opportunities for collaboration' in the far-east nation.
In 2019, UHI Perth bosses including principal Dr Cook were criticised for taking business class flights to China while jobs were at risk.
Senior managers made multiple long-haul flights to the Asian country even though staff feared being made redundant.
The new staff visit comes while UHI Perth considers measures to cut its £2 million deficit.
We revealed last week how the university college suggested axing all degrees, before this was then 'strongly dismissed'.
The institution's finance director Gavin Stevenson resigned in April.
A UHI Perth spokesperson said: 'UHI Perth – as part of UHI – delivers education opportunities to fee-paying international students.
'As part of this commitment, three members of our staff have travelled to China this month to support our ongoing international partnerships.
'These efforts contribute to our broader vision of international education, where final-year students from our partner institutions in China come to the UK to complete their studies, paying international student fees.'
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