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. Prior to her appointment at DMU she has had 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 to our students. She is also the DMU executive lead for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
Susan was a panel member in the TEF 2 Panel and chaired the Arts Subject Review TEF Pilot Panel. She was also on the recent TEF panel in 2023. 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 creative education with a focus 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’ which is regularly cited in discussions and research on creative education.
In 2021 she was invited by the German Bauhaus Kooperation to consider the impact of Bauhaus arts education on its 100th university (German and English translations available). 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 she led the academic enhancement team at University of the Arts London winning an Advance HE Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence in recognition of cross university work tackling UAL’s awarding gaps.
Susan has served on a number of Boards and committees in the sector. 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, Switzerland, China, the Netherlands and Norway. She is a Visiting Professor at Bournemouth University in the Centre for Excellence in Media Practice.
Susan edited the international journal ‘Art, Design and Communication in Higher Education’ from 2014 – 2024 and is on the editorial board for the journal Teaching in Higher Education.
Susan is a volunteer at Urban Table (a soup kitchen in Hackney).
In her spare time Susan loves to walk, stroll and hike. She has hiked the Pennine Way, the Coast to Coast, West Highland Way and is 550 miles into the 630 miles of the South West Coastal Path.
You can contact Susan Orr directly by emailing Susan.Orr@dmu.ac.uk or through her Executive Assistant by emailing Kathryn Williams: kathryn.williams@dmu.ac.uk