Mary A. Finn is dean of Michigan State University’s College of Social Science (SSC).
Prior to her appointment as dean in March of 2020, Dr. Finn was the Director and Professor in the School of Criminal Justice (2015-2019). Prior to joining MSU in 2015, Dr. Finn served as the Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness at Georgia State University and participated in the Harvard University Program on Performance Assessment in Higher Education and the Bryn Mawr College Summer Institute for Women in Higher Education Administration. At Georgia State University, she served as the Senior Faculty Associate for the Advancement of Women and led initiatives to advance the careers of both faculty and professional staff. Dr. Finn also was a co-chair of the College of Social Science’s Strategic Planning Steering Committee and a member of the MSU Presidential Search Committee.
Her academic research addresses problems and issues directly related to justice policy and practice. She has specialized in understanding how justice policy impacts the lives of women and children. She has collaborated extensively with local justice agencies, advocacy organizations, and divisions of the state government in efforts to bridge the world of academia and the world of policy and practice. Dr. Finn’s research has been funded by the National Institute of Justice. Her most recent work has focused on understanding the use of coercive control in intimate partner relationships and by sex traffickers/pimps.
Education:
Ph.D. (Criminal Justice) University of New York at Albany
B.S. (Criminal Justice) Mercyhurst University, Erie, Pennsylvania