Dundee University confirmed Mr Cooper’s resignation today, wishing him well for the future, and announcing Catriona Blake as his acting replacement, pending the position being advertised in the national media.

Although a spokesperson for the university would not go into specifics surrounding Mr Cooper’s departure, a colleague claimed he’d made his decision as a matter of principle.

Against the backdrop of a major financial overhaul at the university, which looks set to cause significant cutbacks in staffing and department funding, and has triggered strong speculation over the future of the Botanic Gardens, the source claims Mr Cooper decided it was in his own, and the university’s, best interests to depart.

The colleague, who asked not to be named, told the Tele, “With all the talk of the Botanic Gardens being closed down and members of staff losing their jobs he didn’t think it was possible for him to remain at the university. He firmly believed that as a matter of principle he should resign. It happened on Friday, but I don’t think many of the staff are fully aware of his decision.”

In a fraught few weeks for the university, Sir Alan Langlands, principal and vice-chancellor, admitted last week it is “almost impossible” to say what the exact number of redundancies will be.

Town and regional planning, modern languages and community education departments are set to be scaled back, and there will be staffing reductions linked to improved planning across all disciplines. There are also expected to be what are officially described as “significant cost reductions and efficiency improvements” affecting the library, the estates service and research and innovation services.

The university is also planning to increase its income from sources such as overseas students and post-graduate courses as it tries to turn a 1% budget deficit into a 3% surplus by 2010-11.

Attempts to contact Mr Cooper today were unsuccessful.