Dr. Finnell at Texas A&M
Proud accomplishments at Texas A&M University include an ongoing leadership program in Italy for incoming Aggies, the Honors Newsletter Cum Laude,the Lechner Salon, a Public Policy Internship Program, the Fellows Program and the Office of Professional School Advising. These initiatives were created with the help of a dynamic Honors staff and unfailing support from the administration of Texas A&M University so that we could give A&M students the services they needed to perform at their highest level.To be honest, my most satisfying professional experience has been the work I had the good fortune to do in the Honors Program at Texas A& M University, with students so bright and polite, curious and eager to learn. I would not trade that experience for anything, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity.
Personal Life & Professional Career
Born in Switzerland on a farm, I emigrated to Canada in the sixties with a one way ticket and one hundred dollars. My university adventure started modestly by earning college credits at community colleges while working full time. Immediately after completing my Bachelor’s degree in French Language and Literature, I enrolled and completed a PhD from the University of British Columbia in the same field. Since then, I have worked in various capacities in higher education at Washington State University, Texas A& M University, the University of Nebraska, and at the University of Houston. Along the way, I got married and had a son and a daughter.After a recovering from a serious brain injury, I decided to focus my interest in the art world with board service to the Grammy acclaimed choral ensemble Conspirare. I muse that my head is in the cloud with literature, art and music, but I am grounded in the soil of our Austin garden.