September 23, 2021

New Executive Dean of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities announced

Professor Sue Bennett appointed

The University of Wollongong (UOW) is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Sue Bennett as Executive Dean of the Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities.

Professor Bennett, who has been interim Executive Dean since May this year, brings to the role nearly 30 years’ experience in teaching, research and academic leadership in education, technology and the humanities.

A graduate of Griffith University, the Australian National University, the University of NSW and UOW, Professor Bennett joined UOW’s School of Education in 1999 and was appointed Head of School in 2017, having been celebrated as a UOW Woman of Impact and highly commended for her excellence in research supervision the previous year.

Throughout her academic career, Professor Bennett has made a substantial contribution to teaching and learning through teaching at all levels, supervising around 40 higher degree research students, and creating or adapting new subjects and courses for delivery in Australia and offshore.

She has received a UOW Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, been cited by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council for her outstanding contributions to student learning and recognised as a Faculty of Education Teaching and Learning Scholar.

Professor Bennett’s teaching achievements are matched by her strong research track record having secured around $80 million in research funding across competitive grants schemes and commercial projects. She has authored more than 150 publications that have been cited by other researchers more than 11,000 times.

In addition to her Executive Dean responsibilities, Professor Bennett is Deputy Director and Co-lead of the Connected Child research program in the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child.

In addition to being Head of School and Acting Executive Dean, Professor Bennett’s academic governance experience includes being Deputy Director of the Early Start Research Institute and fulfilling several leadership roles at school and faculty level centred on the use of technology in learning.

UOW Vice-Chancellor, Professor Patricia M. Davidson, said the appointment was the right person at the right time for the University.

“The needs of our students and the place of technology in teaching and learning have never been more important than now.

“With her impressive track record in teaching and academic leadership, combined with her research in the field of technology enhanced learning, Professor Bennett’s insights into the needs of today’s ‘digital natives’ and the importance of digital inclusion makes her the perfect choice for this role.

“I am pleased to welcome Professor Bennett as a permanent member of UOW’s leadership team and look forward to having the benefit of her experience and insights as we adapt to our rapidly changing world,” Professor Davidson said.