By Benjamin Long, University of Wollongong
September 19, 2025: Three University Medallists, a 95 per cent student satisfaction rate and applications flooding in within the first weekend of opening – the numbers tell the story of a program that is going from strength to strength.
The University of Wollongong (UOW) and the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation marked these successes and the renewal of their partnership through to 2031 at their recent annual celebration dinner.
The event welcomed current Ramsay scholars and students of the Bachelor of Arts in Western Civilisation (who now number 137), alongside members of the Ramsay Centre Board, including Joe de Bruyn AO and Peter Evans, Ramsay Centre CEO Dr Martin Fahy, UOW Chancellor Michael Still, Vice-Chancellor and President Professor G.Q. Max Lu AO, senior university executives, faculty and alumni.
The Bachelor of Arts in Western Civilisation, delivered by UOW’s School of Liberal Arts, is distinctive in the Australian higher education landscape.
Founded in 2019 and supported through Paul Ramsay’s generous philanthropic gift, the program is built around small-group, discussion-based study of foundational works from Western traditions, while also encouraging engagement with non-Western perspectives. The Ramsay Centre supports students in the program with scholarships worth up to $32,000 per year.
Professor Max Lu used the occasion to welcome the renewal of the UOW-Ramsay partnership through to 2031, a milestone he described as a vote of confidence in the program and its people.
“Every great partnership has an origin story. Ours begins with Paul Ramsay and his generosity,” Professor Lu said. “He imagined a program that would give students not only knowledge, but the courage to think critically and question the world around them — and that idea has truly come alive at UOW.”
Professor Lu also praised the academic achievements of UOW’s Ramsay scholars.
“This year alone, we have three University Medallists, 40 percent of students on the Dean’s Merit List and a 95 percent satisfaction rate. And when applications opened for next year, 32 arrived in just the first weekend. Clearly the word is out,” he said.
Dr Martin Fahy paid tribute to Paul Ramsay’s extraordinary legacy and the enduring impact of his philanthropy.
“Paul Ramsay’s generosity marks all of these occasions and I think he would have been really pleased to be here tonight. I think he would enjoy the company of young, energetic and optimistic people. I think he would enjoy the fact that, as our first partner, Wollongong is flourishing,” Dr Fahy said.
Reflecting on UOW’s 50th anniversary this year, he cast forward another 50 years and challenged the students to live up to Ramsay’s example.
“I think he would say you are capable of amazing things and that you should hold yourself to those very high expectations. So, look out over the next 50 years to 2075 … What did the funding that Paul Ramsay set aside in this endowment allow you to achieve? Did you achieve everything that was possible?” he said.
Senior Professor Dan Hutto, Head of the School of Liberal Arts, used the opportunity to reflect on the successes of the past six years while looking forward to the future.
“The launch of the School of Liberal Arts and the BA in Western Civilisation didn’t just happen. It was neither inevitable nor easy, and it was made possible by the skill, dedication and sheer determination of many people,” he said.
“From the very beginning, our guiding philosophy has been to instil the spirit of open inquiry in our students: to teach them how to think, not what to think. That continues to drive us.”
The evening also featured inspiring speeches from students Biatriz Caires Forlano and Bharathi Gotyal, who shared their thoughts on how the program had shaped their studies, aspirations and sense of purpose.
Program graduate India Becroft, who spoke at the very first UOW-Ramsay celebration dinner five years ago, reflected on her experiences in the Western Civilisation course and how they continue to influence her life and career as a lawyer.
“The School of Liberal Arts taught me not only to argue, but to empathise. Not only to analyse, but to reflect. Not only to use my intellect, but to romanticise it, to appreciate my own mind as a tool to be cultivated and shared. That self-awareness is not peripheral. It is what gives me a voice and perhaps an edge in the professional world,” she said.
The event was a celebration not just of what the partnership has achieved, but of what lies ahead. As Dr Fahy told the students:
“We’re looking to you to step up and use your remarkable minds to achieve remarkable things… and in 50 years’ time, we will draw up the balance sheet. And we know you will have done amazing things.”
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.orgFor more information on the Centre please visit our website: www.ramsaycentre.org