Rate My Professor John Orr

Dr John Orr is a Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Law and Justice within the Faculty of Business, Law and Arts at Southern Cross University. He earned a Bachelor of Human Movement Studies from the University of Queensland, a Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours and University Medal from Southern Cross University, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Queensland University of Technology. His PhD thesis, University Law: Pursuing Fruits of Knowledge, received the Dr Ann Shorten Doctoral Thesis Award from the Australia and New Zealand Education Law Association in 2020. This work explores the role of enabling legislation in requiring Australian public universities to undertake their core functions for the public good.

Dr Orr has over 20 years of experience teaching law subjects, including corporate law, equity and trusts, contract law, Corporations Law in the Bachelor of Laws program, and Company Law in the Associate Degree in Law and Bachelor of Business programs. He currently serves as Course Coordinator for the Faculty's law degrees and Chair of the Business, Law and Arts Faculty Board. Recognised nationally as a scholar in higher education law and university governance, his main research interests lie in corporate law and higher education law. A long-time National Director of ANZELA, he is also the immediate Past Editor of the International Journal of Law and Education. Key publications include 'The Legal Capacity and Decision-Making within Australian Public Universities' (International Journal of Law and Education, 2021, vol. 24, pp. 80-100), 'The "Fit and Proper Persons" Concept in Higher Education Law' (International Journal of Law and Education, 2019, vol. 22, pp. 64-82), 'Student Evaluations: Pedagogical Tools or Weapons of Choice?' co-authored with Warwick Fisher and John Page (2020), and 'Australian Public Universities: A Crisis of Governance' co-authored with Alessandro Pelizzon and others (2022). Additional works encompass 'Australian Universities: Transnational Education Arrangements and Liability in International Student Contracts' (2013) and conference presentations on corporate governance. Through his research, editorial contributions, and leadership roles, Dr Orr has influenced discussions on university governance, legal capacity, and higher education policy in Australia.