It seems the University of Queensland is not just on-track to establish Ramsay Western Centre funded degrees, it is steaming hard toward the terminus, a learned reader remarks (CMM yesterday).

The University Senate did more on Monday than approve continuing talks, it delegated chancellor Peter Varghese and VC Peter Hoj to sign a memorandum of understanding, “consistent with the university’s policies and principles, including autonomy over the curriculum, academic appointments, academic freedom, and governance arrangements.”

But this may not be enough. On Tuesday HASS dean Heather Zwicker told staff the contents of any Ramsay-degree would still need to go to the faculty’s board of studies and then on to the university-wide academic board. “Colleagues will still hold this proposal up to rigorous academic scrutiny every step of the way,” humanities academic and National Tertiary Education Union branch president Andrew Bonnell said yesterday.