Howard Finch, Sara J. Krawczak Chair in Financial Management and former dean of Samford University’s Brock School of Business, has built a distinguished career marked by thoughtful leadership, academic rigor and a lasting impact on students. Having served in higher education since 1986, Finch joined Samford University in 2011 and has since held a variety of faculty and administrative roles, including as dean of the Brock School of Business from 2011 to 2019, a period of significant growth for the school. He later served in the Office of the Provost as senior associate provost, providing university-wide leadership while continuing his commitment to teaching and scholarship. Finch will retire at the conclusion of the 2025-26 academic year. 

Below, Finch reflects on his career and time at Samford as he concludes a transformative season of leadership and equipping the next generation of Christian business leaders. 

What first led you to a career in higher education, and what kept you in it? 

Primarily, I was strongly motivated as a young person to maximize my intellectual potential. I have always loved to read and learn, and I decided early in life that I wanted to understand as much as possible about finance and economics, which led me to pursue a doctoral degree. My PhD major was finance and my minor was economics. 

What has kept me in higher education has been the extraordinary privilege of working in the world of ideas. I love trying to understand complex topics in a way that allows me to teach and write about financial ideas so others may understand and appreciate them. As a professor, I have collaborated with smart people and shared impactful ideas with students. It has been a wonderful career. 

When you reflect on your time at Samford, what moments stand out as most meaningful to you?

For me, the two topics that stand out have been relationships with individuals and the growth in size and reputation of Brock School of Business. We have hired wonderful faculty and staff members during my time, people who are dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of students. We have also received generous support from the university to create new facilities and programs that enhance the educational environment and experience, which benefits our students’ academic and personal experience.   

What do you hope students carry with them long after they leave your classroom? 

Anyone who has taken a finance or real estate class with me would say “the difference between debt and equity!” Seriously, what I hope students learn and appreciate are three key concepts. First, there are no free lunches. Every decision has both explicit and implicit opportunity costs. Second, incentives matter. When you are trying to determine what people did or what they may do, you must consider the incentives involved. People respond to incentives. Third, decisions have consequences. In both personal and professional life, it is critical to evaluate potential outcomes and impacts on others before making decisions. 

Are there mentors or colleagues who had a lasting impact on your career? 

I was fortunate to have two mentors who played critical roles in my professional career. When I was an inexperienced assistant professor, Dr. John Fulmer hired me at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. John taught me how to be an effective and successful college professor. He taught me how to manage a classroom, how to manage relationships with colleagues and how to write for publication. His impact on my abilities as an effective finance professor was profound. 

Then, during my time on faculty at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), Dr. Richard "Dick" Pegnetter mentored me on how to be a business school dean. Dick was the founding dean of the Lutgert College of Business at FGCU, and he hired me for an endowed professorship and later named me his associate dean. He was an experienced and effective dean, active in fundraising as well as national accreditation, and he gave me many opportunities to gain experience from and with him. When the opportunity at Samford arose after working together at FGCU for 11 years, Dick recommended me for the position of dean for Brock School of Business. 

What advice would you give to the next generation of students?

My advice is two-fold: be a life-long learner and do not be afraid of taking chances. Your formal academic learning prepares you for opportunities, but you must be able to recognize the opportunities when they arise and be prepared to take advantage of them. I often say in class that “luck” is the intersection where preparation meets opportunity. To have good luck in your professional career, you must constantly prepare yourself by seeking ways to grow both personally and professionally, and you must be able to recognize the opportunities when they present themselves. There are three types of people in the world:those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened. You do not want to be part of that third group!   

What are you most looking forward to in retirement? 

I look forward to the luxury of time. I want to embrace the time to exercise, the time to read and study, the time to play golf and go for walks, and the time to enjoy the simple pleasures of daily life. I also look forward to being an active grandfather, being involved in and supportive of the lives of my grandchildren. 

I feel truly blessed to have enjoyed an interesting and rewarding career. Samford is a special place and to have been a small part of this experience and had the opportunity to have an impact on the lives of many students has been a blessing. I look forward to what plans God has for the next chapter of my life. 

Give: Dean J. Howard Finch Scholarship