One of Australia’s largest philanthropic donors to medical research has suspended ties with the University of Melbourne after last week’s awarding of honorary doctorates to six white men.
The Snow Medical Research Foundation informed the University of Melbourne on Monday that it had suspended the institution from its Snow Fellowship program, as its “outcomes on gender equality and diversity do not align with the values of Snow Medical”.
The nonprofit donated $24m to the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus and last year granted two Snow Fellowships, totalling $16m, to the institution.
“Unfortunately, last week the University of Melbourne awarded their most prestigious award, their honorary doctorate, to six white men,” Snow Medical said in a statement.
“Further, in the last three years, not a single honorary doctorate has been awarded to women or someone of non-white descent. This is unacceptable.”
The university awarded honorary doctorates to two men in 2020. Half of the six recipients in 2019 were female, including Pat Anderson, an Alyawarre woman and Indigenous health advocate. No honorary doctorates were conferred in 2021.
Honorary doctoral degrees were awarded on 28 February to Leigh Clifford, Prof Sir Peter Donnelly, Prof Allan Fels, Dr Francis Gurry, Dr Mark Schipp and Prof Colin Wilks.
The honorary doctorate, the university’s highest honour, was awarded to individuals “whose work has transformed our understanding of the world and the lives of many people”, said University of Melbourne chancellor, Allan Myers, at a conferral ceremony last week.
The university press release announcing the honorary doctorates was later amended to add a statement about recipients who were unable to attend the in-person ceremony.
“This list includes three women and an Indigenous man who were recognised for outstanding achievements in their fields of endeavour,” it said. “These honorary doctorates will be conferred at a later date.”
Snow Medical said it made the decision to suspend the University of Melbourne from future fellowship applications after an “unsatisfactory” response “regarding why only men have been appointed with honorary doctorates over the last three years”.
“While it appears … policies on gender equality and diversity are in place, the outcomes do not align with the university’s stated goals,” it said.
“This has been a difficult decision for our family, but a decision we have made very proudly,” said Tom Snow, chair of the Snow Medical board, in a tweet. “NOW is the time for action on gender equality and diversity.”
In a statement on Tuesday, the University of Melbourne said: “While we acknowledge the areas where we need to improve, Snow Medical has made their decision on the basis of a single honorary doctorate event. This event is not a true reflection of who we are as a university and the steps we are taking, and continue to take, to build a diverse university community, reflective of broader society.”
“We are in the process of finalising the university’s first gender equality action plan.”
“Since 2019 five of the six most recent senior leadership appointments within the University’s executive team are women. This includes the Provost, three Deans, and the first Deputy vice-chancellor (People and Community).”
The not-for-profit foundation said it would honour its commitment to existing Snow Fellowships already awarded to University of Melbourne medical researchers.
