URGENT – TCC UNDER THREAT – ACT NOW

We ask for letters to be sent objecting to this closure to: Professor Nick Foskett Dean of Law, Arts and Social Sciences, with copies to Professor Bill Wakeham, Vice-Chancellor, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ. The more post they get the better..

The Textile Conservation Centre Some recent achievements

Background: a distinguished history and international reputation

1. The TCC was established as independent charitable trust in 1975. Based in Hampton Court Palace from 1975-1999. Merged with University of Southampton in 1998. Staff transferred to U of S in 1998. Moved to custom-designed building on the WSA campus in 1999.
2. The charitable trust was re-named the 'TCC Foundation' and continues to support the TCC, particularly in giving bursaries to its students.
3. The TCC Foundation contributed £700,000 towards the cost of the building and funded the cost of all of the new equipment, the relocation, and development of the new academic programmes. Total raised from external sources: £1.7m (over 50% of the total cost).
4. The TCC currently has 11.6 fte staff plus 4 staff on time-limited research contracts.
5. The TCC was identified as one of the University of Southampton's nine Key Distinctors.

Research: the TCC has met or exceeded all its research milestones

1. Secured the then largest ever grant awarded by AHRC: £948,000 to establish the AHRC Research Centre for Textile Conservation and Textile Studies, 2002-7.
2. AHRC Research Centre has consistently met or exceeded its milestones (e.g. academic publications, international conferences and exhibitions); its output and management have been praised by AHRC and by external reviewers.
3. Total research funding since 2000: over £1.9m.
4. University set TCC a target of RAE grade 4 in 2001: successfully achieved.
5. Draft submission for forthcoming RAE is considered strong by the University.
6. Collaborations with various subject areas across the university: e.g. £386,000 AHRC grant awarded for joint project with Engineering into monitoring of tapestries, 2007-2010.

Education: TCC alumni have an excellent employment record

1. Currently offer MA Textile Conservation and MA Museums & Galleries, and PhD opportunities in both areas.
2. MA Textile Conservation considered the leading course internationally; attracts many overseas students; majority of trained textile conservators around the world studied at TCC.
3. TCC graduates have an outstanding record of employment: all those wishing to remain in conservation (which is about 97% of graduates) gain employment.
4. MATC students regularly shortlisted for the Student Conservator of the Year Award; two have won it. A TCC graduate won the Conservation Award 2007.
5. MA Museums & Galleries has established very high reputation since its introduction (1999).
6. The MA Museums & Galleries' graduates also have an enviable employment record in this very competitive part of the heritage sector.

17 October 2007

As you may be aware a review of the Textile Conservation Centre (TCC) was initiated undertaken by the University of Southampton earlier this year. I am writing now to update you on developments to date.

The Textile Conservation Centre (TCC) has been a valued part of the University of Southampton since 1998. In that time the Centre has significantly developed the scope and extent of its work and has maintained the highest quality in its research, education and commercial work - all of which has further enhanced its international reputation. I enclose a summary of some of the key achievements of the TCC during the last nine years. The review was prompted by the fact the Winchester School of Art (WSA), of which the TCC is a part, was in very substantial deficit and University policy is for every School to be self-funding. New courses in art and design were developed at WSA, with a strong focus on commercial applications of art. The History of Art & Design Division of the School was also closed. This inevitably has left the TCC somewhat isolated academically, and it is not viable as a stand-alone unit.

It was therefore decided to see whether a new business plan could be developed under which the TCC could be viable, and to find an alternative home within the University. Sadly, despite much work by the TCC and University staff, as well as the TCC Foundation (the Centre's supporting Trust), it has not proved possible to build a business plan that would bring the TCC into balance/surplus whilst still retaining the high quality of its work.

As part of the review, the University also investigated transferring the TCC to an alternative university. A number of the institutions approached in connection with the transfer option were most interested to accept the TCC, but were unable to pursue this, due in large part to the need to provide new or refurbished space to fit the Centre's needs. We have not yet concluded these discussions but expect to do so shortly.

Should transfer of the TCC not be possible, then the University of Southampton's Council has now decided, with profound regret, that the Textile Conservation Centre would have to be closed. In this case the phased closure of the TCC would commence in summer 2008; full closure would take place once all its postgraduate students have completed their courses, which would be expected to be in September 2009. Postgraduate conservation education is a very resource-intensive activity. The conservation sector has been discussing this for some months, as other conservation programmes face the same pressures as the TCC. In order to raise awareness of this nationally significant issue and to seek some solutions, the University and the TCC Foundation are supporting the TCC's plans to hold a 'summit' on conservation education in the UK in the early part of 2008. Further details of this event will be announced by the TCC in due course.

Professor Nick Foskett
Dean of Law, Arts & Social Sciences