Patrick Finnegan (September 20, 1949 – July 2, 2018)[2][3] was a United States Armybrigadier general, and the president of Longwood University. Finnegan served 39 years in the U.S. Army, retiring in 2010 after serving as the 12th dean of the Academic Board at the U.S. Military Academy. Following his Army career, he was appointed as the 25th president of Longwood University in 2010. Finnegan stepped down as president in 2012 for health reasons and returned to private life.
Early life and family
Born in Fukuoka, Japan, to a military family, Finnegan spent most of his childhood moving across the globe. Finnegan's father, Col. John B. Finnegan, U.S. Army (Ret.), served in the Army for 32 years.[4] Finnegan graduated from the Cardinal Gibbons School in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1967. Following high school, he attended the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. While a cadet, Finnegan served as the chairman of the Honor Committee and manager of the Army Black Knights football team his senior year.[5] Finnegan graduated from West Point in 1971 and commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army.[6]
In 1998, Finnegan returned to his alma mater, the U.S. Military Academy, as the staff judge advocate.[5] While at West Point, Finnegan was appointed the head of the Department of Law and served as a professor.[5] In 2005, Finnegan was recommended and approved for the rank of brigadier general, to serve as the 12th dean of the Academic Board at West Point.[9] While serving as the dean, Finnegan traveled to Hollywood with several FBI interrogators to voice concerns to the producers of the hit TV series 24.[10] Finnegan expressed concerns that featuring torture on the TV series could damage the international image of the United States, and might sway public opinion in favor of torture as a tactic in war.[11][12] Finnegan, along with several others at the meeting, urged the producers to limit the use of torture in the TV series.[11] While serving as dean, West Point received numerous accolades, including being ranked the #1 Public College in the Nation by Forbes magazine and the best Public Liberal Arts College by the Princeton Review.[13] Finnegan continued in his post as dean until he announced his retirement from active duty in 2010.[7]
President of Longwood University
In 2010, Longwood University announced it had selected Finnegan as the 25th president of the school.[6] While serving as president, Finnegan undertook several initiatives that included the creation of an academic strategic plan that was collaborated campus-wide, securing Longwood University's membership in the NCAA Division I Big South Conference, and creating an Office of Sponsored Programs and Research to aide in funding for faculty research projects.[14] In 2012, citing health reasons, Finnegan announced he would be stepping down as president.[15]
Death
In July 2018, Finnegan died of an apparent heart attack.[3]
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