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campusreview.com.au
Simon Haines, Heather Zwicker and Peter Høj. Photo: UQ
$50m Ramsay
plan revealed
UQ outlines its intentions for
the controversial program.
T
he University of Queensland
intends to offer an extended major
in Western civilisation as soon
as next year, following the signing of a
memorandum of understanding with the
Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation.
In signing the MOU, the university’s
chancellor and vice-chancellor, and the
Ramsay Centre chair and CEO, outlined
plans to run the program for eight years,
with funding worth more than $50 million.
The announcement follows the Ramsay
Centre’s partnership with the University
of Wollongong, which was revealed
late last year – a decision that has been
the subject of intense debate, including
Supreme Court action brought by the
National Tertiary Education Union (and
subsequently dropped).
The arrangement means the centre
will fund 10 full-time equivalent academic
staff to deliver the program, and 150
scholarships for high-achieving students.
UQ vice-chancellor and president
Professor Peter Høj said the agreement
would provide “the opportunity to offer
a rigorous sequence of study focused on
small-group discussion, a study abroad
program and student-centred learning”.
“This level of investment in the humanities
at UQ comes at a time when opportunities
to maintain these foundational disciplines
are diminishing.
“UQ will maintain autonomy over all
key governance arrangements, including
‘A win for
everyone’
Government greenlights visa fast-track for top talent.
T
6
he government will fast-track visas for 5000 industry leaders
every year as part of a global headhunting program.
Immigration Minister David Coleman recently revealed
course content, teaching standards, student
admissions, selection of scholarship
applicants, staff appointments, and
academic and intellectual freedom.”
Professor Heather Zwicker, executive
dean of UQ’s Faculty of Humanities
and Social Sciences, said the course
of study would “focus on the key
intellectual movements that have shaped
Western civilisation from antiquity to the
current day”.
“Students will explore representations
of ‘the West’, encounter influential ideas
from the past, and will be encouraged to
examine their relevance to today’s disrupted
world in the context of the ‘great books’ –
what they have to say about these issues
and also what was not said.”
Ramsay Centre CEO Simon Haines said
the organisation was “delighted” to be
partnering with UQ.
“We have always said that the success of
the courses we fund would depend on the
quality of teaching, and UQ has received
more national teaching awards than any
Australian university.”
The extended major in Western civilisation
will be available as a Bachelor of Advanced
Humanities (Honours) or a Bachelor of
Humanities (Western Civilisation)/Bachelor
of Laws (Honours). ■
some of the details of the Global Talent Independent program.
He said the goal of the program was to identify and proactively
recruit up to 5000 highly skilled migrants per year.
Those headhunted will come from high-growth industries,
and Home Affairs staff will encourage them to help grow those
industries in Australia.
One such recruiter was deployed in Berlin in July, and by the
end of September there will be Home Affairs staff in Washington,
Singapore, Shanghai, Santiago and Dubai.
“By attracting the very best, we will help to build enterprises that
will employ large numbers of Australians in high skill, high wage
jobs,” Coleman said.
Vicki Thomson, chief executive of the Group of Eight (Go8), said
the “much advocated for” decision will make it far easier to attract
world leaders in vital fields to come and work in Australia.
“Currently, Australia is mostly off-limits for them, because of the
severe constraints of the current visa system.
“While Australia is home to some of the world’s leading
researchers in these fields – many of whom work within a Go8
university – the reality is that our skill base is too small to take full
advantage of these opportunities,” she said.
Thomson added that Australia needs more specialised experts to
help foster the development of Australian talent.
“The fastest way to do this is to welcome more of these highly
skilled people to Australia.
“This is, quite simply, a win for everyone.” ■