- Dr. Kevin Robert Orr will become dean of the University of Florida College of the Arts on July 1, succeeding interim dean Dr. Jennifer Setlow.
- Orr has directed UF's School of Music since 2015 and raised nearly $65 million for its renovation and expansion projects.
Following a month-long search, the University of Florida’s College of the Arts (COTA) has a new dean.
In an administrative memo sent on Tuesday morning, Joe Glover, UF’s interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, announced the appointment of Dr. Kevin Robert Orr as dean of the COTA, effective July 1.
Orr is currently director and professor of the School of Music at UF.
“I am profoundly honored by the opportunity to serve the University of Florida College of the Arts as Dean,” Orr said in the memo. “The inspiring work of our students, faculty, and staff, across a wide range of arts and interdisciplinary research, positions us well for a future of extraordinary possibilities and deep impact on our community, our state, and the world.”
Orr succeeds Dr. Jennifer Setlow, who has served as the interim dean of the COTA since Jan. 2, 2024.
In the memo, Glover said Orr has directed the School of Music since 2015, “overseeing 450 music majors and 55 faculty and staff.” During his tenure, Orr appointed 37 full-time faculty and staff, started new graduate and undergraduate degree programs, and headed fundraising efforts in securing close to $65 million for the renovation and expansion of the music building, according to Glover.
In addition to serving as director and professor of the School of Music, Orr is also a concert pianist. Glover said Orr’s commercial recordings, including the complete Piano Sonatas, the Piano Concerto, Ballades by Brahms and solo works of Samuel Barber, have been “celebrated by major music periodicals.”
Orr, a UF Research Foundation professor, also founded the UF International Piano Festival, “an annual summer event assembling talented rising pianists and distinguished pedagogues,” according to the COTA website.
Orr holds an undergraduate degree in music education, along with graduate degrees in performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music at Case Western Reserve University and the Dana School of Music at Youngstown State University, according to Glover.
“He brings strong administrative experience and artistic distinction to the dean’s role at a crucial moment for the college [COTA], and I have great confidence in his leadership,” Glover said of Orr.
While a dean has been named for the COTA, permanent dean searches remain active for a few other UF colleges, including the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and the College of Medicine.
At a faculty senate meeting on April 16, Glover said he believed the College of Engineering had selected eight semifinalists for its dean position.
Glover noted that the eight semifinalists would be interviewed by Zoom.
“From that, they will choose a group of finalists who will be making campus visits,” Glover said at the meeting. “Those campus visits will all occur before May 15.”
Dr. Warren Dixon has served as the interim dean of the College of Engineering since July 2025. He is currently serving a one-year appointment, according to a July 2025 UF administrative memo.
Glover announced in an April 20 memo that Dixon will step down from his interim position, effective July 1.
Also, on April 20, it was announced that Dixon had been named the next dean of the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. His appointment will begin on July 10.
A search is also underway to find a permanent dean for UF’s College of Medicine. Jennifer Hunt, who has served as the college’s interim dean since January 2024, is stepping down on July 31 to serve as the new dean of the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, according to an April 2 UF administrative memo.
Current UF interim President Donald Landry is leading the search for a permanent dean of the College of Medicine. At the faculty senate meeting, Glover said he wasn’t sure where Landry stood in the search.
In addition to the UF colleges already mentioned, the Levin College of Law and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are also currently without permanent deans.
No information has been released regarding dean searches for the College of Law or the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.