At first the Ramsay Foundation could not give millions away to fund courses in western civilisation – staff revolts at universities saw to that.
At the University of Sydney, activists over-ruled management arguing, “the Ramsay program represents, quite simply, European supremacism writ large.” But Vice-Chancellors at three universities ignored the academic orthodoxy and took the money to teach western civ – which did not fall. In fact, it prospered.
Uni Wollongong has just renewed with Ramsay, there is more money to keep teaching its BA in Western Civilisation and to support elite-students with 30 scholarships worth $60,000 over three years. Plus, the university is extending access to civ study, with a new major, open to all across campus, that extends the Ramsay approach, “to explore classic works and ideas from both western and non-western traditions, bringing them into conversation.“
“The liberal arts remain vital: not because they preserve tradition, but because they equip us to respond to the future with insight, humanity, and resilience. We embrace an educational philosophy that endeavours to instil a spirit of open inquiry in all our students,” says School of Liberal Arts head, Daniel Hutto.
It contrasts with campus opposition to the original Ramsay deal in 2019, when an academic warned Uni Wollongong’s Senate against “resurrecting courses that are paeans of praise to discredited western supremacism.”
Although, there are humanities and then there are humanities at UoW,. Other courses were dropped this year as part of university-wide budget cuts.
As to what the extended offer at UoW will cost the Ramsay Foundation, who knows? Neither it nor the university responded when asked.
Western Civ is also alive and well at the other two Ramsay-partners. The program at Uni Queensland is renewed and last week Australian Catholic U was promoting its fifth year.