5 Questions with Justin Finney, first recipient of a doctoral degree from Columbus State University

Friday night you were the first Columbus State University education student to earn a doctoral degree. When did you start pursuing it and how did you end up at CSU?

In 2004, I had just finished my specialist in education degree at CSU. I also had just taken a teaching position in the College of Education at CSU. I wanted to pursue a doctorate, and CSU did not have a doctoral program at that time. As a result, I began my doctoral work at Georgia State University in Atlanta in 2005. When I learned CSU had their doctoral program approved and were admitting doctoral students in 2010, I immediately wanted to transfer to CSU so I could earn all of my degrees at CSU. I wanted to return to CSU to complete my doctorate because the people in the CSU College of Education and Health Professions are like my family. They have mentored and supported me since I was a brand new undergraduate student. Columbus State University has done so much for me.

Where did you obtain your thirst for knowledge?

In high school I had a biology teacher, Mr. James Dorman, who really inspired me to learn. He made learning fun and always seemed to make the things that we were learning in his class relevant to our lives. At the collegiate level, the person who really uncovered my love for learning was Dr. Virginia Causey. She taught me what education could be and should be.

What are the biggest challenges you face working in public education?

I believe that a free and public education is a basic right for every child. The biggest challenge I face as a public school administrator is mobilizing and managing resources to improve student achievement. Another challenge we face in public education is the public’s perception of public education. Public education continues to be one of the cornerstones of our democratic American society. We must guard and protect our public schools, and make them better through collaboration between parents, teachers, students and the community. We have great public schools in Harris County and in the Columbus area.

We just have to ask. How does your military special operations training come in handy as an elementary school principal?

Well, my military experience has certainly helped me learn how to handle stressful situations. However, I believe the leadership training in the military has helped me most as a school administrator. In the military, unit leaders always take care of the people around them, they ensure that people have the tools they need to do their jobs and they help motivate them to do their best to accomplish any mission. Being a school administrator is no different. If teachers and school staff members have what they need to teach and do their very difficult jobs, and they believe administrators care about them and their students, they will be motivated to accomplish the very difficult job of teaching and caring for students. I am blessed to work with the faculty and staff of Mulberry Creek Elementary! They are truly an exceptional group of people.

What is the best kept secret in the Chattahoochee Valley?

The best kept secret in the Chattahoochee Valley is the variety of educational experiences to which our students and citizens have access. From pre-kindergarten programs to university graduate programs, and everything in between, this region has some of the best educational opportunities in the nation.

This story was originally published December 19, 2011 at 12:08 AM with the headline "5 Questions with Justin Finney, first recipient of a doctoral degree from Columbus State University."