06 May 2026: 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 representatives of UQ leadership including the Chancellor Mr Peter Varghese AO. It was also attended by Ramsay Centre CEO Dr Martin Fahy, Centre Executive and Board, and more than 150 students enrolled in the program.
This is the seventh intake of Ramsay Scholars into UQ’s extended major in Western Civilisation, which is the single most competitive course for entry in the Humanities in Australia.
Thanks to a partnership agreement between the Ramsay Centre and UQ, Ramsay Scholars are supported with funding of up to $32,000 p.a. to study Western Civilisation in UQ’s Bachelor of Advanced Humanities (Western Civilisation) (Honours) degree, or in its Bachelor of Humanities (Western Civilisation)/Bachelor of Laws (Honours) dual degree.
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. All students enrolled in the course are taught in small class groups and receive academic mentoring. The partnership also funds the hire of world-class educators.
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, Chancellor Mr Peter Varghese praised the students as among the university’s best and brightest and emphasised the importance of understanding “…in greater depth the contribution that the Western tradition and civilisation and Western thought in all its dimensions made to the shaping of modern-day Australia.” He said the program taught a historical perspective, which would help students draw lessons from past approaches and see through false narratives.
Ramsay Centre CEO Dr Martin Fahy acknowledged the support of the Chancellor, and paid tribute to Centre benefactor, the late Paul Ramsay AO, for his incredible generosity which made the program and scholarships possible.
2023 UQ Ramsay Scholar Jake Matsushita praised the Western Civilisation program, saying it differentiated itself through an emphasis on discussion and dialogue over rote learning, and exposing students to the most enduring texts in the history of the West. He also praised the availability of scholarships. He said his scholarship enabled him to choose this course, despite coming from a single parent household where the sole source of income was a Centrelink carer payment for his mum to care for his sister with disabilities.
“Being relieved of financial strain by the grant of the Ramsay Scholarship was a profound alteration to my trajectory,” he said. “It gave me the opportunity and privilege to study in the field that I suspected and am now convinced is my true calling. It gave me the ability to relocate to Brisbane, attend the university and to pursue enriching and career-relevant but time-consuming extracurriculars, which among other benefits has led to the ability to work for and learn from a distinguished senior barrister. The privileged position which I now occupy can be directly traced back to the Ramsay Centre scholarship.”
For information on UQ’s Western Civilisation offerings visit: https://hass.uq.edu.au/about-cwc
Media contact: Sarah Switzer 0407 816 098/ sarah.switzer@ramsaycentre.org
For more information on the Centre please visit our website www.ramsaycentre.org