The mood among academics at the University of Wollongong could be a bit frosty on Monday morning.
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On Monday, the university announced it had accepted a bequest from The Ramsay Centre to offer a degree in Western Civilisation from 2020.
The degree was the brainchild of one Tony Abbott, who convinced the late healthcare magnate Paul Ramsay to fund a tertiary course to study the “great books”.
Despite the fact that western civilisation – especially white western civilisation – has been studied at universities for decades already, Mr Ramsay decided it was a good idea.
But not everyone agreed with him.
The Australian National University was offered the degree – fully paid for by the centre – but eventually knocked it back.
Chief among concerns of those in charge at the ANU was a threat to academic freedom.
They claimed the centre wanted to sit in on subjects to monitor was was being taught and have final say over staffing decisions – claims the centre has denied.
The centre is also having issues getting its degree into the University of Sydney too, with hundreds of academics signing an open letter branding the potential offering as “chauvinistic”.
While these other universities were debating the issue, the University of Wollongong crept under the wire and became the first institution to sign up to deliver the course from 2020.
Perhaps learning from the earlier controversies, the Ramsey Centre and UOW seemed to have kept their dealings very quiet.
Until Sunday’s announcement, there had been no whispers of UOW being considered.
Which makes you wonder whether the UOW academics are waking up this morning shocked at the news their institution has linked up with the John Howard-led Ramsay Care.
Perhaps they didn’t know this was in the pipeline either.
If the reactions of academics elsewhere are any guide, some of them probably won’t be too happy about it.