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Quotes
The following quotes were taken from the Open Forum held on Thursday, February 11, 2010 at Longwood University during which faculty, students and staff had a chance to hear from Brigadier General Finnegan as a presidential candidate.
Citizen Leaders
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"I was taken by Longwood's mission to create 'citizen leaders.' My dad was a great example of a citizen leader, and so was my mom and my family. Using your talents in the service of others wasn't something that we really talked about a lot, but we lived it, and that legacy helped shape who I am and who I've become." |
Education
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"I've been a soldier, a lawyer, an educator, and a leader, and I've experienced the difference that education makes in the world, in settings as varied as the courtroom, the classroom, humanitarian operations in the United States and abroad, and even in war. I'm dedicated to learning, to education, and to service. I can inspire students. My entire professional career has been spent helping make people better than when they started. I believe in team-building and working together for a common purpose." |
Small Classes
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"I love the ideas of small classes and a community feeling. This is the university with the feel of a small college. In fact, that's why my sister (Rosaleen Finnegan Shinsato, '76) came here, and why she liked it. My family was living in Virginia at the time, and she was urged by her guidance counselors to go to William & Mary or Virginia Tech, but she said no. She wanted to go somewhere where people knew her, and she knew them. And that's why she enjoyed it here so much." |
Career in the Army
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"I never thought I would have a career in the Army - if you talked to my West Point classmates, they would be amazed - because I wanted to be a lawyer. I've enjoyed every job I ever had. I had opportunities to leave the Army and probably make a lot more money, but money has never been the driving force in my life. I enjoyed serving and thought I was making a contribution, so I stayed in the Army." |
Values & Character
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Gen. Finnegan, noting that Longwood's Honor Code is identical to West Point's and is posted at the entrance to Greenwood Library, said... |
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"I think it says something profound about an institution that right there on the wall in front of you in your main academic building, the place where you want every student to be and where every faculty member goes, that you can see what the values of the institution are, because education is about values and character." |
On the Lighter Side
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Gen. Finnegan began his appearance in the Open Forum by joking... |
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"I know there may be consternation that I'm a general and maybe even more that I'm not only a general, I'm a lawyer." |
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Asked in the question & answer session of his Open Forum appearance how he would transition to a position in the civilian world, Gen. Finnegan joked... |
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"I've taken one very significant step already: I bought several suits." |
