The 1990 Elon alumna returns to her alma mater with more than 25 years of student affairs experience at multiple institutions.
Eleanor Finger ’90, a prominent leader in the Division of Student Affairs at Virginia Tech, has been named the next assistant vice president for student life and dean of campus life at Elon University.
In her new role, Finger will serve as a member of the senior leadership team for the Office of Student Life and will be responsible for the supervision and success of Fraternity and Sorority Life, the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement, the Office of Residence Life, and, as a joint report with Associate Provost Brooke Barnett, the Gender and LGBTQIA Center.
“Eleanor is an exceptional student affairs educator who has demonstrated her success in building relationships across campus to create positive student experiences,” said Jon Dooley, incoming vice president for student life in an email to Elon faculty and staff. “During her interviews she impressed everyone with her energy, insights, warmth, and commitment to advancing the mission of this university she already loves. She was very well-versed with the goals of the Residential Campus Initiative and the recommendations of the recent Presidential Task Force on Social Climate and Out-of-Class Engagement and will bring tremendous leadership to those efforts, among others.”
Finger is currently the director of housing and residence life at Virginia Tech, where she has been involved with the establishment of new residential colleges at the university, hosted the first Residential Campus Symposium, bringing together faculty and administrators from across the country who are deepening academic-residential integration, and co-chaired a university task force to examine and improve the sorority and fraternity student experience.
Prior to her current role she was associate dean of students at Washington State University and held previous positions in residence life at Simmons College, Washington State University and John Carroll University.
“It is truly a gift to be able to return to Elon and serve with such smart, interesting, and deeply committed colleagues who are passionate educators and inspire transformational experiences for students,” Finger said. “My life was changed for the better as a result of my own residential experience on campus, and now I have the opportunity to pay it forward in the company of bright, capable students who want to lead purposeful lives. I’m thrilled about this adventure ahead.”
Finger earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Elon, a master’s degree in higher education administration from University of Arkansas – Fayetteville, a second master’s degree in counseling and human services from John Carroll University, and a doctorate in higher education administration from Washington State University. Her dissertation was titled “Beyond the Binary: Serving the Transgender Student, Improving the College Experience.”
She will officially begin her new duties at Elon on Monday, July 10.