Dear Principal and Board of Governors,
We have recently learned of your proposals to restructure the college's staffing and delivery of the curriculum in order to meet the challenges caused by previous financial mismanagement and the withdrawal of some government funding. We understand that you have now spoken to some students and the teaching staff affected, but that they have played no role in the formulation of your proposals. We also understand that most of your teaching staff feel that these proposals would be catastrophic for the continued success of this institution which we as alumni hold so dear. Indeed, we believe that these proposals will undo the hard work, progress and achievements of the past 65 years.
The current proposal appears to change the core elements of the students' training by decimating the full-time teaching staff and replacing them with new part-timers and freelancers, which you apparently believe will replicate and improve the current teaching provision. We strongly disagree. Rose Bruford's key teaching staff are the dynamic heart of the college, and removing the heart of anything will cause it to wither and die.
Years of impeccable and inspirational teaching have led to the current position where Rose Bruford is recognised as one of the leading conservatoires in the world, producing some of the finest talent across all aspects of the creative industries. Removing the core providers of this training will surely be the death of that status. Some staff members have given their passion, dedication and expertise to the training of students for over 15 years and are being faced with being turfed out.
Yet, astonishingly, the positions of the Principal, Vice Principal, Heads of School and some Heads of Course, most of whom students and alumni cannot remember adding noticeably to the training, or even remember their names, are currently facing neither restructuring nor redundancy. We would take your proposals more seriously had senior managers also been in the firing line in order to save costs.
The college's website currently reads "Placing students at the centre of our work, the College aims to provide the highest quality undergraduate and postgraduate degree-level and continuing professional education and training in all aspects of theatre and performance." Yet the needs and wishes of the student body and future students do not appear to have been considered at all in this radical change. We are sure that your current students will be opposing these changes most vociferously and alumni, we will be supporting them in whateverways we can.
We are proud to call Rose Bruford our 'alma mater', and our fellow students and staff 'our family'. The training we have all received has not only helped us progress careers within theatre and performance but has shaped us into who we are and the lives we lead today. Our inspirational training has led us to work as writers, performers, designers, technicians, producers, agents, teachers and directors who are leading the way within the creative industries and beyond. These paths, these careers, these lives have been shaped by the teachers who have made Rose Bruford the outstanding college it is today.
We can confirm to you without any shadow of a doubt, that the best thing about Rose Bruford is the core of truly inspirational teachers who are its heart and are its greatest asset. We are therefore writing to implore you to consider other ways of cost saving than the restructuring that is currently being proposed, we are writing so that we have a voice, we are writing to save Rose Bruford College.
By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.
Having problems signing this? Let us know.