06 August 2024: The latest cohort of University of Queensland (UQ) Ramsay Scholars have been officially welcomed at a special reception celebrating the UQ/Ramsay Centre partnership at Brisbane’s Customs House.
The annual UQ Ramsay Scholars Dinner was attended by the University’s Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor, more than 100 students, Ramsay Centre CEO Dr Martin Fahy and representatives of the Ramsay Centre Board.
This is the fifth intake of Ramsay Scholars into UQ’s extended major in Western Civilisation, which is the single most competitive humanities course for entry in Australia.
Thanks to a partnership agreement between the Ramsay Centre and UQ, Ramsay Scholars are supported to study Western Civilisation in either UQ’s Bachelor of Advanced Humanities (Honours) degree, or in its Bachelor of Humanities/Bachelor of Laws (Honours) dual 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.
Up to thirty scholarships are awarded each year to academic high achievers who desire to make a difference. Each year the program also accepts increasing numbers of students without a scholarship into the extended major, reflecting the course’s growing popularity.
The program is led by internationally-acclaimed classicist, Professor Alastair Blanshard, and promises to immerse students in ‘…a creative and diverse curriculum with a strong focus on key intellectual works – artistic, musical, literary – that have shaped Western Civilisation from antiquity to the current day.’
Speaking at the dinner, UQ Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Deborah Terry AC thanked the Ramsay Centre for its generosity and said UQ was delighted to partner with the Ramsay Centre.
She praised the Western Civilisation program’s focus on intellectual curiosity, a critical tenant of a successful pluralistic and civil society, and on the skills needed to “engage in diverse perspectives and to debate ideas in a robust, constructive and respectful manner.”
“Without wanting to sound alarm, many of us have been growing increasingly concerned over the last few years at our apparent inability as a society to engage in a civil and respectful manner, particularly on issues of political importance,” Professor Terry said.
“It’s my sense that we’ve become less curious about what others think and why. And as a result, we lost the ability to discuss the merits of different ideas and perspectives in a genuine and good faith way.”
“Promoting curiosity is at the core of what the Ramsay Centre and Western civilisation is all about and something that is desperately important.”
“All of this is to say, that there has arguably never been a more important time for universities to focus on what they were established to do. That is, produce well-rounded, thoughtful, and inquisitive young people who are committed citizens and capable stewards of the future.”
UQ Chancellor Mr Peter Varghese AO also lauded the program saying a Great Books education exposed scholars to history, first principles and the timeless questions of society, governance and human nature. Mr Varghese referenced English political philosopher Edmund Burke’s thoughts on a compact between the past, present and future, saying it was ultimately knowledge of the past that helps us understand the present, and the present which will shape the scope for the future.
Ramsay Centre CEO Dr Martin Fahy acknowledged the extraordinary generosity of the late Paul Ramsay AO, who left a large part of his endowment to foster the study of the great formative works and institutions of our civilisation, making the special partnership with UQ possible.
Dr Fahy reminded the scholars they were the first ‘children of a hundred-year life’ who were also fortunate enough to be brought up in Australia, one of the world’s greatest success stories in implementing the principles of the Western canon such as liberal democracy, rule of law, tolerance and liberal economic settings.
He said the Centre looked forward to supporting them in their leadership journey and urged them to approach their lives with the same sense of optimism and appreciation that Paul Ramsay did.
2021 UQ Ramsay Scholar Ella Norvill expressed her gratitude to the Ramsay Centre for its support of her studies, saying it had been a ‘dream come true’ to study western literature, art, music and political and legal theory with a small group of ‘tremendously talented’ students, and learn from scholars whose passion and enthusiasm for the texts inspired her daily.
Ella said the course had taught her to push past what she initially found to be disconcerting language and formatting in old texts, so that she could understand their context and their relevance. She praised the course as a necessary antidote to oversimplification of issues in society.
“There is a growing impulse among many people to reduce complicated topics and ideas to simple slogans,” she said. “In contrast the Western Civilisation program helps to equip us with critical skills in understanding nuanced perspectives and the power and complexity of ideas. Each of these skills is universally valuable, whether studying the past or working in the present.”
The Ramsay Centre and UQ entered a partnership in 2019. Worth more than $50 million over eight years, the partnership enables UQ to offer at least 150 undergraduate scholarships over that period and to hire world-class educators to teach its Western civilisation program.
Media contact: Sarah Switzer 0407 816 098/ sarah.switzer@ramsaycentre.org
For more information on the Centre please visit our website: www.ramsaycentre.org