Presidential Biography
Mary C. Finger, Ed.D., began her tenure as Seton Hill University’s tenth president in June 2014.
Under her leadership, Seton Hill has initiated a number of new programs to enhance the university's already robust academic offerings while also expanding student opportunities for experiential learning through study abroad, internships and student research.
She initiated the development of the Office of Academic Innovation and Planning at Seton Hill, which has rapidly developed new academic programs and partnerships, including undergraduate programs in Nursing, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, Health Science, and Global Studies; new online adult degree programs; new MBA programs in Healthcare Administration and Forensic Accounting and Fraud Examination; and an M.Ed. in Innovative Instruction.
Under her leadership, Seton Hill achieved more than $11.7 million in gifts to new and existing scholarships through the Campaign for Student Scholarships.
During her tenure, the university opened two new academic buildings, restored and expanded its historic dining hall and constructed a new residence hall - the Sisters of Charity Residence Hall - which opens in August 2019.
Mary Finger is active in the community on the regional, state and national levels as a member of the boards of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, the Pennsylvania Economy League of Pittsburgh, the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania and the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.
Dr. Finger came to Seton Hill following nearly 10 years as senior vice president for advancement at DePaul University, where she led the institution’s first comprehensive capital campaign: Many Dreams, One Mission. She served for more than nine years as Vice President for Planning and Institutional Advancement at Mount Mary College (now University) in Milwaukee. She has also served as director of development for the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois; as acting executive director of the University of Wisconsin — Milwaukee Foundation and also as director of development at that same institution.
Dr. Finger is fluent in Spanish and worked in the Bilingual Education Department of Milwaukee Public Schools. Dr. Finger received her Ed.D in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Arts degree from Mount Mary College and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Marquette University.