ACU and Ramsay Centre celebrate four years of partnership

The growing community of ACU Ramsay Scholars has been celebrated at a special event in Sydney.

Since its launch in 2021, ACU's Western Civilisation program has more than doubled in size, with students enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts (Western Civilisation), Master of Liberal Arts, Bachelor of Laws, and the vertical double degree with a Master of Teaching (Secondary).

ACU is one of just three universities in Australia to offer the unique Western Civilisation program, supported by the Ramsay Centre.

The annual ACU Ramsay Scholars Dinner marked four years of partnership between ACU and the Ramsay Centre and was hosted by ACU Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Zlatko Skrbis. Also in attendance were ACU Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Julie Cogin, ACU Western Civilisation Acting Program Director Professor Jan Seruga and academic staff from the program.

The Ramsay Centre was represented by CEO Dr Martin Fahy, Academic Director Professor Diana Glenn and board members.

Among the highlights of the evening were a series of performances by Western Civilisation students, from a quintet acapella performance of 16th-century French chanson to Celtic-inspired music played on fiddle and guitar, and a group oration of Les Murray's poem, The Quality of Sprawl.

man playing violin on stage

ACU Ramsay Scholar John Tabuteau spoke about the highlights of his studies, including the opportunity to read some of the greatest works of the Western Canon, including Homer's epics, Shakespeare's plays and Locke's political treatise.

He said that these books become a connection between the living and the dead, "so that the great questions which have held mankind in suspense and awe, may constantly be asked and thought about".

However, while he lauded the study of the Great Books, he said it did not reflect the totality of his scholarship.

"That is not what a Ramsay Scholar is, it is what they studied," he said.

"Ramsay Scholars ought to be just as invested in the people around them as they are in the people who fill the books on their shelves. It is our cause to be invested in the service of people and society because if service is beneath us then leadership is beyond us."

ACU Ramsay Scholar Sylvia MacRitchie-Hook who is among the first cohort in the new Master of Liberal Arts told the audience that her course was "not merely an academic exercise, it's a framework for understanding the big questions."

"It's precisely in these times of rapid change and uncertainty that our cultural, philosophical and intellectual heritage becomes our compass," she said.

ACU Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Skrbis said ACU was deeply honoured to contribute to the late Paul Ramsay's vision of promoting and deepening the study of Western Civilisation.

Professor Skrbis applauded the program's increasing diversity of students, including students from military backgrounds and regional and remote areas, who he said enriched the program with their unique perspectives and experiences.

"ACU Ramsay Scholars have proven to be energetic, imaginative, clever and curious while also displaying a commitment to the enrichment of society and that's something that we hold very close to our heart," Professor Skrbis said.

Ramsay Centre CEO Dr Martin Fahy paid tribute to the Centre's benefactor the late Paul Ramsay AO, whose extraordinary generosity made the partnership possible. He urged the scholars to be proud of their degrees through which they will "grapple with ethical issues, complexities, and ambiguities that define so many of the very real wicked problems that we face".

The Ramsay Centre and ACU entered a partnership in 2020 worth approximately $50 million over eight years.

The partnership enables ACU to offer at least 150 undergraduate scholarships and hire world-class educators. Each ACU Ramsay Scholarship is worth $32,000 p.a. for up to five years, with scholars taught in small class groups with tailored academic mentoring.

Funding includes a study abroad experience which students can choose to study at ACU's Rome campus.

Visit our page for more information on ACU's Western Civilisation program

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