Staff, students and professional contacts farewelled Professor John Humphrey on Friday as he leaves his position as Executive Dean of the Law Faculty, returning to private practice as a consultant at King & Wood Mallesons.
After six and a half years at QUT, Professor Humphrey said working at the Law Faculty was both an honour and a privilege.
“It should be a source of pride to all of us in the Faculty that we are now regarded as a high performing Faculty. These achievements have been the result of a team effort involving Academic and Professional staff members of the Faculty and I would like to thank each and every one of you for your efforts and for the support,” he said.
Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching and Senior Lecturer Peter Black thanked Professor Humphrey for his leadership, vision, and commitment to the Law Faculty, students and staff.
“Professor Humphrey was supportive and protective towards both staff and students. He empowered and encouraged everyone who worked in the Faculty,” he said.
During his tenure as Executive Dean, Professor Humphrey has guided the QUT Law Faculty to the forefront of global rankings. In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, QUT Law is ranked 6th in Australia and 63rd globally.
Professor Humphrey has contributed to many University-wide activities supporting students, technology, service, and research initiatives. In particular, Professor Humphrey has been instrumental in fostering and promoting the QUT Faculty of Law Founders’ Scholarship. His leadership has seen the fund increase by over 80 per cent and the number of scholarships available for students has doubled. The scholarship encourages first-year law students to reach their full potential by providing financial support to those experiencing financial or other difficulties.
He has been a member on a number of principal committees, including chairing the group that delivered the first QUT Digital Roadmap and the Partnerships Engagement Committee, which developed the first supported customer relationship approach for QUT. He has also been Director on the QUT Enterprise Holdings Board and continues to be involved in the QUT bluebox Board, and the QUT Creative Enterprise Australia Board.