Plymouth Resident Richard Finnegan Named Stonehill College's Outstanding Alumnus

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Richard Finnegan

EASTON, MA (10/04/2011)(readMedia)-- Since joining the Stonehill faculty in 1968, Plymouth resident and Professor of Political Science Richard Finnegan '64 has chaired his department, led the Irish Studies and the Honors programs, and written six books and numerous scholarly articles.

He has also served as Interim Dean of Faculty, been named a Distinguished Faculty Scholar, won a Moreau Award, established an archive of Irish Government Documents, and created an International Studies major as well as an internship program in Dublin.

In addition to this stellar campus record as a scholar, teacher, researcher and administrator, Finnegan has been an outstanding ambassador beyond campus.

He has been honored with both a Fulbright Award and a Fulbright Distinguished Chair. He has been awarded grants from prestigious agencies, including the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Whiting Foundation and the National Science Foundation.

He has taught at Harvard University and at Boston University in Berlin and Heidelberg, Germany . Most recently, he taught at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic, while based there as a Fulbright Distinguished Chair in politics, and lectured at that country's famed Charles University.

A leader in Irish Studies, he has lectured at National University of Ireland locations in Dublin, Galway and Maynooth. In 2009, the Irish Voice newspaper named him to its list of Top 100 Irish American Educators.

Throughout his career, Finnegan has always found time to collaborate with Stonehill alumni and he holds the distinction of being the first Stonehill faculty member to lead an Alumni Travel Program. In 2007, he spent ten days guiding 47 alumni and friends across Ireland, highlighting aspects of Irish history and culture for the group.

"In recognition of your loyalty, your achievements as a faculty member, administrator, world-class researcher and scholar, and for the honor that those pursuits bring to Stonehill, the Alumni Association is proud to bestow upon you, its 2010 Outstanding Alumnus Award," explained President Mark Cregan, C.S.C. '78 in presenting the award to Finnegan.

Finnegan was only recently presented with the award because he spent the past year in Europe researching a new book and serving as a Fulbright Distinguished Chair in the Czech Republic.