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Former dean of law to lead new integrity division at UOW
This year, the University of Wollongong (UOW) opened an integrity division, appointing the former dean of law to lead it. A month into her new role, she spoke to Lawyers Weekly about what the new division is focusing on — and how it benefits students.
Lauren Croft
Professor Trish Mundy was previously the dean of the School of Law at the University of Wollongong — and this year, secured a new position as chief integrity officer, which she said involves leading the establishment of a new integrity division within the university.
“It certainly felt a natural shift for me,” she said following her new appointment.
“As dean of law, I had already been working and researching across ethics and integrity-related areas, both within and outside of the university environment, so the opportunity to bring together my skills and knowledge to support and enhance a culture of excellence in ethics and integrity and help develop and implement an overarching integrity framework within the university was an exciting one.”
The establishment of the division, Ms Mundy said, reflects UOW’s “commitment to the highest standards of ethical behaviour”.
“It was established following a number of reviews undertaken to identify best practice approaches to matters of conduct and integrity and following internal consultation inside the university,” she explained.
“The establishment of an integrity division and a chief integrity officer was informed by sector and industry benchmarking, independent higher education sector reviews and trends both within the higher education sector and beyond.”
In her new role, Ms Mundy will focus on a variety of issues, including sexual harassment, inclusion, student advocacy and general misconduct within the university.
“The new division consolidates key integrity functions including complaints management; safe and respectful communities (SARC) team, which manages reports of sexual harm and allegations of general misconduct; student ombudsman and advocacy services; public interest disclosures; and investigations of reports of serious wrongdoing, with further consolidation happening over the next 12 months,” she said.
“In addition to leading across these functions, as CIO, my role is also to cultivate a proactive and inclusive culture of integrity, accountability and continuous improvement across the university and be responsible for developing and implementing an overarching integrity framework with an emphasis on support and education.”
Tackling these issues will also be made easier with Ms Mundy’s legal experience, which she said would absolutely aid in her new role.
“I definitely feel my legal knowledge and experience will help in my new role. Having an understanding of the legal and statutory frameworks that shape the ethical and integrity environment of higher education is critical to ensuring a coherent integrity agenda.
“For example, having a working knowledge of substantive areas of law that apply to people and institutions generally (for example, criminal law, negligence, privacy law, administrative law, corporate governance), as well as the specific regulatory instruments related to higher education, such as the Higher Education Standards Frameworks, which shape governance and accountability mechanisms are particularly important,” she outlined.
“I see this knowledge and experience, along with the capacity to exercise sound professional judgement and critical thinking skills (which the law and legal education prepares you well for), are really beneficial.”
Furthermore, the new division will also increasingly benefit students moving forward, Ms Mundy emphasised.
“By bringing together these integrity functions into a single division, there is such a great opportunity to build a more connected, consistent, and responsive approach to student (and staff) feedback, support, complaints management and the various investigative processes,” she said.
“Through promoting greater awareness, adopting best practices and streamlining across the various processes, systems and appeal pathways (with a focus on delivering a compassionate and trauma-informed approach), students can feel clearer and more confident in the way their matters are dealt with.”
Lauren Croft
Lauren is a journalist at Lawyers Weekly and graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from Macleay College. Prior to joining Lawyers Weekly, she worked as a trade journalist for media and travel industry publications and Travel Weekly. Originally born in England, Lauren enjoys trying new bars and restaurants, attending music festivals and travelling. She is also a keen snowboarder and pre-pandemic, spent a season living in a French ski resort.
