Mary C. Finger, Ed.D. begins her tenure as the tenth president of Seton Hill University on June 1, 2014.

Dr. Finger succeeds the late Dr. JoAnne Boyle, who served as president of Seton Hill for 25 years until her retirement in 2013. Bibiana Boerio, former Ford Motor Company executive, acted as interim president.

“Dr. Finger’s nearly 30 years of experience in various roles in higher education make her well-positioned to lead Seton Hill,” said Michele M. Ridge, Chair of Seton Hill’s Board of Trustees. “Her professional and personal history shows a deep commitment to Catholic higher education, and she is committed and is inspired by the vision and the ideals set forth by the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill.”

“Seton Hill University has successfully met many challenges that the great majority of private colleges and universities in the United States are facing with creativity and a deep commitment to mission,” Finger said. “I look forward to working with the Board of Trustees, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members to lead the University’s next stage as Seton Hill builds on its remarkable history and tremendous strengths.”

Sr. Catherine Meinert, Provincial Superior and President of the U.S. Province of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill and Vice Chair of the University’s Board of Trustees said, “The Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, who founded the college and are still actively engaged in the life of the University, are pleased that Mary Finger will serve as the tenth president of Seton Hill. We know she will continue to advance our identity and the legacy of our distinctive Setonian tradition.”

Dr. Finger comes to Seton Hill after nine years of service as Senior Vice President for Advancement at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, where she led and implemented the institution’s first comprehensive capital campaign, Many Dreams, One Mission. The campaign achieved its original $250 million goal in 2012 and exceeded the revised $300 million goal. During her tenure, Finger managed the integration of DePaul’s alumni relations, alumni communications and fund-raising operations into a robust advancement program. She revitalized DePaul’s annual giving program and developed a foundation relations program that resulted in increased multi-million dollar national foundation support.

In addition, she co-chaired the Task Force on Innovation that created processes for developing and evaluating new academic programs at DePaul and examined alternative instructional and delivery methods.

As part of DePaul’s strategic planning process, Finger served on the Financial Planning/Business Sustainability Task Forces responsible for providing long-term assessment and plans for institutional viability, enhancement of academic prominence, increased enrollment and retention, and successful fund-raising initiatives. She chaired DePaul’s Affinity Task Force that developed new programs to deepen student engagement with the university as well.

Prior to her position at DePaul, Mary Finger served as Vice President for Planning and Institutional Advancement at Mount Mary University, formerly Mount Mary College, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; 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 as Director of Annual Fund and Alumni Relations at Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee. In her varied professional roles, Finger had responsibility for strategy development, enrollment marketing, major gift solicitation, and town/gown relationships. Simultaneously, Finger expanded interest and involvement in institutional programming while engaging alumni, parents and friends in the work of those institutions.

Finger received a doctoral degree (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.