Financial services executive named interim president

May 2012

On May 24th, Financial services executive Marge Connelly, former rector of the Longwood Board of Visitors, was named by the board to serve as Longwood’s top leader following the resignation of President Patrick Finnegan for health reasons earlier in the month.

Connelly served as acting president through June 30, and transitioned to interim president on July 1. Finnegan’s resignation became effective June 30.

Connelly has had a successful career in the financial services industry, serving in top leadership positions for Barclaycard, Wachovia Securities and Capital One Financial Services. She is serving in Longwood’s top position during the search for the new president.

“We are fortunate to have someone with Ms. Connelly’s management experience, financial acumen and knowledge of Longwood to guide the university through this transition,” said Board of Visitors Rector Marianne Radcliff ’92. “We are confident that she will keep the university moving in the right direction.”

Radcliff also lauded Finnegan for his contributions to Longwood, saying he had accomplished much in a short time and that he would be greatly missed.

Among Finnegan’s accomplishments were the creation of an academic strategic plan through a campuswide collaborative process; securing membership in the Big South Conference for Longwood’s Division I athletics program; focusing attention on the need to make faculty and staff salaries more competitive and beginning the process of allocating additional resources to that need; gaining board approval for the location of an alumni center on campus; creating an Office of Sponsored Programs and Research to seek funding for the faculty’s scholarly activities; and increasing the number of international students on campus.