[11] The role's focus was "on refining the Melbourne Model and ensuring successful second phase implementation of the University's graduate programs in 2011".
[21] In February 2023, La Trobe chancellor the Hon John Brumby announced that, after 12 years, Dewar would conclude his term as vice-chancellor in early 2024.
On 5 September 2024 the Illawarra Mercury raised questions about conflict of interest arising from Dewar’s position as a partner at the consulting firm KordaMentha, which has been awarded contracts to review aspects of how the University of Wollongong operates.
[23] As of February 2022[update] Dewar holds a number of other directorships including the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, the Committee for Melbourne and the Foundation for Australian Studies in China.
[24] He is an honorary fellow of Hertford College, Oxford, an adjunct professor in the Melbourne Law School and the La Trobe Law School, and a visiting professor at the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice at Sheffield Hallam University.
[25] In 2023, Dewar's 'Earthhouse' was featured in Season 10 (Episode 9) of Grand Designs Australia, described as "a radical underground house" on 25 acres at Whittlesea, Victoria.