St Edmund’s is pleased to welcome Dr Mike Finn as Senior Tutor to the College.  

Dr Finn studied history as an undergraduate at the University of Liverpool, before moving to Magdalene College, Cambridge for an MPhil and PhD. A Kennedy Scholar at Harvard in 2002-2003, he also read for a second undergraduate degree in Theology at Exeter College, Oxford. He has taught widely in UK higher education, and was a Bye-Fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge, and a Junior Research Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. He has also served as Director of Liberal Arts at the University of Exeter, and Deputy Head of the School for Cross-Faculty Studies at the University of Warwick  

Dr Finn’s research interests address political culture, broadly defined, and his most recent book Debating Anarchism was published by Bloomsbury in 2021. Previous books include a study of Brexit’s impact on UK higher education, and a co-edited history of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition. Outside of academia, Dr Finn recently served as Director of Lifelong Learning at Everton Football Club’s associated charity Everton in the Community and was an adviser and speechwriter to the late Charles Kennedy.   

Dr Finn says of his appointment,  

“I am delighted to join St Edmund’s as Senior Tutor, and to have the opportunity to play a key role in building on the great work already undertaken in the College to develop the educational experience for our students. 

As our contemporary world faces unprecedented challenges, and having worked across academia, politics, and the third sector in previous roles, I’m looking forward to working with the whole of our college community to advance the College’s mission of empowering global talent to shape the future.” 

Catherine Arnold OBE, Master of St Edmund’s College, said of Dr Finn’s appointment: 

“I am delighted to welcome Dr Finn. St Edmund’s College is at an exciting point in our history, with significant student growth and the agreement of the College Vision and the THRIVE framework. The College looks forward to drawing on Dr Finn’s diverse experience as we continue to develop and enrich the time our students spend as part of St Edmund’s global community.” 

Learn more about our THRIVE Framework.