Professor Susan Orr
Professor Susan Orr, Pro Vice-Chancellor Education and Equalities
Professor Susan Orr is the Pro Vice Chancellor Education and Equalities at De Montfort University (DMU). Prior to her appointment at DMU she held leadership roles at York St John University, Sheffield Hallam University and University of the Arts London.
At DMU, Susan leads Learning for Life pillar of the university’s Empowering University Strategy. She leads the cross-university change programme which is delivering a distinctive block education system to our students. She is the DMU executive lead for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, as well as Arts, Design, and Humanities (ADH).
Susan was a panel member in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2 Panel and chaired the Arts Subject Review TEF Pilot Panel. She was also on the recent TEF panel in 2023. Susan was invited to lead the Office for Students review of Blended Learning and has delivered a range of keynotes and inputs disseminating the report’s findings.
Susan is a Professor of Creative Practice Pedagogy and her research centres on studio-based pedagogy in art and design. With Alison Shreeve she co-authored the book ‘Art and Design Pedagogy in Higher Education: knowledge, values and ambiguity’.
In 2021 she was invited by the German Bauhaus Kooperation to consider the impact of Bauhaus arts education on its 100th university. Details about Susan’s published outputs can be found on Google Scholar.
Susan is an HEA Principal Fellow, a National Teaching Fellow (awarded in 2010) and in 2020 led the academic enhancement team at University of the Arts London, winning an Advance HE Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence.
She has been a trustee for the Yorkshire Museums Trust, a member of the Group for Learning in Art and Design Board (GLAD) and a member of Council for Higher Education in Art and Design (CHEAD). At University of the Arts London Susan was co-chair of the university’s LGBTQ+ Staff Network. Susan chaired the European League of Institute of Arts (ELIA) Teachers’ Academy from 2018-2023.
Over her career Susan has been invited to give keynotes and to support teaching, learning and curriculum development in universities and art schools in North America, Australia, Hong Kong, and more. She is a Visiting Professor at Bournemouth University in the Centre for Excellence in Media Practice.
You can contact Susan Orr directly by emailing Susan.Orr@dmu.ac.uk or through her EPA by emailing kathryn.williams@dmu.ac.uk.