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‘ Champion of integrity ’
She was a great champion of integrity , a wonderful colleague , a really nice person and she will be missed .
The late Associate Professor Tracey Bretag from UniSA . Photo : James Elsby
Remembering and celebrating the life of Tracey Bretag .
By Wade Zaglas
It was something of a bittersweet moment when Professor Tracey Bretag from The University of South Australia was posthumously given the career achievement award in the Australian Teaching University Awards for 2021 .
Bretag , who died in October last year after a long struggle with cancer , was one the world ’ s leading experts in academic integrity and ethics : issues that become more salient every day as cases involving student cheating , contract cheating and plagiarism in its many forms proliferate .
From humble beginnings in the New South Wales town of Woy Woy in 1962 , Bretag lived in Newcastle for a time before moving to Rockhampton . Once she finished her first degree from James Cook University in 1984 , the freshly minted graduate took off from Australia and did not return for the best part of a decade .
An insight into Bretag ’ s love of adventure and travel occurred when she departed for the wilderness of Canada , spending a two-year stint in the country . Once back in England , Bretag was at the helm of a 37,000ft catamaran , periodically getting away to both Dallas and New York .
After moving back to Australia in the early 1990s , Bretag qualified to teach English as
a second language ( formally TESOL ) and taught at a Japanese secondary school for three years , UniSA says .
Bretag quickly developed friendships with academics and students at both Flinders University and the University of South Australia . After this , Bretag would spend the rest of her career at UniSA . Her first appointment at the university was as a lecturer in management .
Bretag was never one to rest on her laurels and avoid addressing issues for the university ’ s improvement , however , and “ she went on to become director of the Global Experience Program ( 2012-14 ), director of the Office for Academic Integrity ( 2015-18 ) and , from 2019 , professor ( higher education )”.
However , academic integrity was always at the heart of Bretag ’ s research . She said her work was motivated by a commitment to positive student learning outcomes and protecting the values and quality of higher education at UniSA .
Bretrag was a prolific writer , with her research published in close to 50 authoritative academic journals and books . She was also the founding editor of the International Journal for Educational Integrity and editor-in-chief of the Handbook of Academic Integrity ( 2016 ), among the most useful books for K-12 and higher education on this subject .
Two of Bretag ’ s books that would be invaluable for any teacher discussing plagiarism and its effects are Essay Mills and Contract Cheating , and Nipped in the Bud .
She also helped create a University ’ s Academic Policy Toolkit , knowing that great systems and procedures need to be implemented .
“ She was a great champion of integrity in education , a wonderful colleague , a really nice person and she will be missed ,” UniSA vice-chancellor Professor Peter Lloyd said .
But while Bretag was an amazing colleague and academic , particularly in the area of academic integrity , it was her abiding commitment to social rights that truly stoked her passion , and this was perhaps most evident in her opinions towards offshore detention regimes of governments .
“ She was a founding member and driving force in UniSA ’ s Circle of Friends , a large group of doers and contributors who donated dollars , time and personal support to families in detention with the aim of supporting those families in the community as an alternative to camp detention ,” UniSA said .
The Circle of Friends worked for a number of years to secure the release of several families and Bretag was a tireless and “ loud ” campaigner for the human rights of refugees .
Tracey Bretag had an interdisciplinary background ; with a Bachelor of Arts ( English and History ) from James Cook University , an honours degree and a Master of Arts by Research in English Literature from the University of Adelaide , and a Doctor of Education by research from UniSA .
This year Studiousity will be honouring Professor Tracey Bretag ’ s lifelong achievements by running a competition .
The Tracey Bretag Prize for Academic Integrity is awarded for outstanding commitment to advancing the understanding and implementation of academic integrity measures .
For information about the prize and how to enter go to www . studiosity . com / traceybretagprize . ■
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