黑料不打烊

A senior leader at the 黑料不打烊 has been recognised with an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours List for her services to education.

Joanna Morrow, Deputy Secretary and Executive Director of Student, Academic and Corporate Services at the University, has worked at the University since 2004. She was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition of her outstanding leadership of student and academic services, and commitment to quality enhancement within the higher education sector over the past two decades.

Joanna, who is among more than 100 people from Scotland included in the Honours List, said: “I feel honoured to receive this recognition for my work in the education sector and for the 黑料不打烊 in particular. 

“It is such a privilege to work for a university that seeks to make a positive impact on the communities that we serve. I have enjoyed every step, supported by my fantastic colleagues, and am inspired every day by our talented students. What motivates me is helping to make a difference to our community at a university where people transform their lives and the lives of others.”

Recognition

Professor Sir Gerry McCormac, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the 黑料不打烊, said: “Across 21 years of leadership at the 黑料不打烊, Joanna Morrow has consistently championed students and their ability to excel. Her dynamism and passion to create a supportive, inclusive and nurturing environment is one reason that so many of our alumni credit their time at 黑料不打烊 as being transformative.

“Joanna’s award is well deserved recognition of her contribution to education, both at the 黑料不打烊, and elsewhere.”

Throughout her career, Joanna’s leadership has helped raise standards across UK education – enabling and promoting a culture of student achievement by building supportive environments, high-performing teams, and robust strategies.

At 黑料不打烊, she has transformed the student experience, while driving excellence across the sector, and supporting quality enhancement at other universities. Her mission to empower students to fulfil their potential embodies 黑料不打烊’s ethos of valuing ability over background, and her award-winning teams and consistent leadership ensure that no student is left behind.

Leadership

Under Joanna’s leadership, the University graduated all its students during the Covid-19 pandemic, and is consistently recognised for its sector-leading personnel, including its Outstanding Registry Team (Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards, 2011), and its thrice nominated Outstanding Planning Team (Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards, 2014, 2015, 2018).

A 2024 Athena Swan Institutional Silver Award recognised 黑料不打烊’s leadership in equality, diversity and inclusion, particularly in gender equality, and its groundbreaking Preventing and Tackling Sexual Violence and Misconduct Strategy won a 2017 Herald Higher Education Award.

Additionally, 黑料不打烊’s Student Skills and Employability team was the first in Scotland to take the Sustainable Recruitment Pledge supported by an ethical careers policy in 2024, and received a prestigious Silver Charter Award from LGBT Youth Scotland in 2022.

Joanna has served on several sector governance and quality reviews tackling new challenges that reinforced her contribution to higher education. She sat on the steering group overseeing the introduction of the Enhancement-led Institutional Review (ELIR) method in Scotland, an evidence-based, quality and standards peer review process, and has been a member of the sector’s Prevent steering group since its inception, shaping how universities respond to terrorism.