York St John University appoints new Head of the School of the Arts

Professor Helen Julia Minors will join York St John from Kingston University, London where she is currently Head of Performing Arts and Associate Professor of Music.   

Professor Minors has extensive experience in senior leadership at Kingston University and has previously worked at the Universities of Roehampton and Lancaster. She is also a Visiting Professor of Artistic Research at the School of Music, in Piteå, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden.  She joins York St John University on 3 October 2022.

Announcing the appointment, Professor Richard Bourne, Pro Vice Chancellor for Teaching and Learning at York St John University said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Helen to our University community. We were impressed with her breadth of leadership experience as well as her commitment to inclusivity in higher education and know she will build on the positive achievements and ambitions for the School of the Arts.” 

As an academic, Helen is a musicologist, artistic researcher, and researcher of higher education, with a strong focus on equality, diversity and inclusion. She has published widely on European music of the last 100 years,  theatre, art, fashion and dance, and notably on multimodal artistic translation.  You can read more about Helen’s work on her website.

Commenting on her appointment, Professor Minors said: “I am delighted to be joining the vibrant School of the Arts at York St John University, with its focus on social justice and student-centred creative work. The genuine community spirit at York St John is inspiring and I particularly look forward to leading and supporting this innovative, creative, entrepreneurial School. The diverse subjects within this School reflect my own creative interests, both within academia and beyond into my personal life. I am excited by the collaborative potential of all the subjects in this School”.