When Holly Finks, RN, MSN, first stepped onto the campus of Ashland University, she wasn’t planning to stay long. She was enrolled in the hospital-based nursing program at Samaritan, and like all nursing students at the time, she came to Ashland for her science courses.
But something stuck.
Even in a lecture hall full of biology majors and chemistry students, Holly felt seen. “The faculty here noticed everyone,” she says. “They wanted us to succeed—and we knew it.”
This experience of being known and encouraged stayed with her, long after her first anatomy lab. It shaped the kind of nurse she became. It shaped the kind of professor she would one day be. And it shaped the way she supported generations of students, faculty and friends as First Lady of Ashland University.
Holly’s story is one of presence—a quiet, steady kind of leadership grounded in care.
After earning her RN in 1969, she worked in surgery and recovery, then moved with her husband, Fred, to Indiana, where he had accepted a pastoral call. Holly took a part-time job at the local hospital, eventually spending time in the neonatal intensive care unit. It was there, explaining wires and tubes to nervous parents, she realized she might love teaching as much as she loved nursing.
She came back to Ashland to complete her bachelor’s degree, commuting for classes while raising two children and supporting Fred through seminary leadership. Later, she earned her master’s from Kent State—fueling her longtime goal of becoming an educator.
“I loved helping people understand things,” she says. “Whether it was a patient or a student, I wanted them to feel supported.”
This desire led her back to Ashland once again—this time as a member of the nursing faculty. She taught across three campuses, picked up evening classes others didn’t want, and offered open-door hours to students who needed a little extra time and grace.
“I’d tell them, don’t be frustrated. Just come in. Let’s deal with it together,” she says.
In every role—nurse, professor, pastor’s wife and eventually First Lady of Ashland University—Holly led by listening. She brought warmth and steadiness to every conversation, whether mentoring a struggling student, hosting donors in her home or joining Fred on trips to build relationships and cast vision.
“I think my role was to bring some levity,” she laughs. “Fred had the details. I was there to make people feel at ease.”
She still remembers how deeply those donors cared. Not just about programs or buildings—but about people. “They always asked, do you know the students? Do you really know them?” she says. “They believed in relationships—and so did we.”
From the very beginning, Holly felt the power of this kind of connection at Ashland. And when it was her turn to serve, she paid it forward—again and again.
“Students will find something here they didn’t expect,” she says. “But they have to try. They have to reach out. Because when they do, this place will meet them with open arms.”
