Keith Finley – President’s Award for Excellence in Research

Associate Professor of History Keith Finley began his time at Southeastern in 1996 as a graduate student. As a masters candidate, he dabbled in the areas of history that would shape his research. While a student, he completed a paper that examined Lyndon Johnson’s tenure as Senate Majority Leader. From that paper he began to narrow his focus to the Civil Rights Act of 1957. While researching the subject, he became interested in the arguments southern politicians made against civil rights laws.

“As a Ph.D. student, I took the lessons I learned at Southeastern and applied them to my doctoral dissertation, which was very much a product of my experiences and training as a student at Southeastern,” he said. “Upon graduation, I was hired as an instructor in the department of history at Southeastern and as the assistant director of the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies.”

Finley’s dissertation eventually became his first book Delaying the Dream: Southern Senators and the Fight Against Civil Rights, 1938-1965. The book received the D.B. Hardeman Prize given annually by the Lyndon Johnson Foundation for “the best book that focuses on the U.S. Congress, from the fields of biography, history, journalism, and political science.”

“Dr. Finley’s book and his numerous articles and presentations have been highly influential, profoundly affecting the way American historians look at the civil rights movement and the South, and it is clear that he is a major figure among scholars who deal with those subjects,” said History and Political Science Department Head William B. Robison. “He brings the fruits of his work into the classroom at undergraduate and graduate levels and into the public forum with lectures at professional organizations, local libraries, and before a variety of civic groups.”

Throughout his time at Southeastern, Finley has been asked to serve as a historical consultant by CNN and the History Channel. Recently, he was also appointed by the Louisiana State Senate to the National Register Historical Review Committee.

In his role as Assistant Director of the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies, Finley has done much to contribute to the high quality of exhibits and programs the center has sponsored over the years, has written successful grants and film scripts in partnership with Center Director Sam Hyde, and has played a major role in three historical associations, Robison said.

“Hiring Dr. Finley is one of the best decisions I have made in my 25 years as department head. He is a great asset to the department and the community,” Robison said. “He is at the head of a group of younger faculty who will help this department to remain one of the best on campus for many years to come. Southeastern is lucky to have him.”