Lincoln (Neb.) - Oct. 20, 1999 - Susanna Finnell, executive director of the Office of Honors Programs and Academic Scholarships at Texas A&M University since 1996, has been named director of the Office of Admissions at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
At Texas A&M, Finnell is responsible for special student recruitment programs and administers the university's large merit scholarship program, its honors program (which ranks as one of the largest in the country) and the Office of Professional School Advising.
"We're very pleased to be able to recruit someone of Dr. Finnell's caliber for this extremely important position," said James Griesen, vice chancellor for student affairs at Nebraska. "She has an impressive record in directing recruitment programs for targeted student populations, including high-ability students, students of color and students with special talents. She also has broad experience as an administrator of student advising programs and is accustomed to directing a large staff with a large operating budget. She has a reputation at Texas A&M for building strong staff teams and delivering high-quality programs."
At A&M, where she is also adjunct associate professor of English, Finnell heads a staff of 25 that works with 5,000 high- achieving students and oversees an annual operating budget of $1 million and a scholarship budget of $7 million. Griesen said her staff and operating budget at Nebraska will be significantly larger when she starts her new position Jan. 1. At NU, she will have full responsibility for all undergraduate recruitment and admission processes, including the New Student Enrollment and New Student Welcome programs.
Griesen said Finnell also administers several innovate programs at A&M that he would like to see emulated at Nebraska. Among those are a two-day on-campus summer program for high- achieving high school students prior to their senior year and a leadership development program for incoming freshmen.
Raised in Switzerland, Finnell began her higher-education experience at a community college in Canada, then earned a bachelor's degree with honors (1976) and a doctorate (1985), both in French, from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
A native German speaker, she also has near-native fluency in French and English and reading knowledge of Latin, Italian and Spanish. She served as a lecturer in foreign languages at Portland (Ore.) State University (1981-82) and in foreign languages and literatures, women's studies and the honors program at Washington State University (1982-85). She was assistant director of Washington State's honors program for six years before going to Texas A&M in 1991 as associate director of the honors programs and academic scholarships.
Finnell will succeed Peg Blake, who left last year to become
vice president for student affairs at Boise State University.
Larry Routh, director of career services, has served as interim
director of admissions.
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