Sydney, Friday 6 September 2024: The University of Wollongong (UOW) recently held a cocktail event to mark five years of partnership with the Ramsay Centre.
The event was attended by UOW Chancellor Michael Still, (Acting) Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities Professor Peter Kelly, Head of the School of Liberal Arts Senior Professor Daniel D. Hutto and academic staff from the UOW Western Civilisation Program.
The Ramsay Centre was represented by our CEO Dr Martin Fahy, Academic Director Professor Diana Glenn, and Chief Financial Officer Emily Williams, as well as Board members Dr Michael Easson, Professor Ann Brewer, Joe de Bruyn, Peter Evans and Michael Siddle.
Most importantly, the event was attended by the growing community of UOW Ramsay Scholars.
Earlier this year UOW welcomed its fifth cohort of UOW Ramsay Scholars. Thanks to a partnership agreement between the Ramsay Centre and UOW, the scholars are supported in studying UOW’s Bachelor of Arts in Western Civilisation degree, through scholarships worth up to $32,000 p.a. for up to five years. The scholars are taught in small class groups and receive academic mentoring throughout the degree.
Selection is based on academic achievement and leadership qualities, as well as a desire to study the great works of Western civilisation. Scholars come from a variety of geographical areas across NSW and Australia, with 135 students now enrolled in the program.
UOW Chancellor Michael Still lauded the Ramsay Centre partnership, thanking the Centre for the important opportunities for the study of liberal arts that it had created.
Ramsay Centre CEO Dr Martin Fahy praised the generosity of the Centre’s benefactor the late Paul Ramsay AO and urged the scholars to see his life as an example of a life well-lived.
“We have enormous expectations of you, that when we bring you back here in 25 years, 30 years’ time, that you will have made a difference, whether that be on the world stage or at a community level, we want you to inspire others through a well-lived life, as a tribute to our benefactor,” Dr Fahy told the scholars.
UOW Ramsay Scholar Phoebe Eldridge-Smith who is studying for her Honours degree, said that examining the great works of Western civilisation with their profound insights into the human condition had opened her mind and been one of the most transformative experiences of her life.
She urged her fellow scholars to show appreciation for their educational opportunity by finding a way to make their own unique contribution. Phoebe detailed her activities outside her degree including working for UOW Pulse, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to enhancing student life on campus. Phoebe is UOW Pulse’s only volunteer coordinator, managing the institution’s 700 volunteers, 80 per cent of whom are international students.
To learn more about UOW’s Bachelor of Western Civilisation degree visit the SOLA website:https://www.uow.edu.au/the-arts-social-sciences-humanities/schools-entities/liberal-arts/
Media contact: Sarah Switzer 0407 816 098/ sarah.switzer@ramsaycentre.org
For more information on the Centre please visit our website: www.ramsaycentre.org