J. Scott Finn grew up in New York, voraciously traveling vicariously through books and museums, which fostered a curiosity about far away places in the world. That first post-collegiate trip to Europe on a modified Grand Tour template sealed his fate.

Scott has been on the faculty at Auburn from 1980-82 (participating in the ’82 APLA Spring Quarter European Studies Program) and returning in 1987 and leaving only to travel with students to international venues.

A magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University, with an AB degree in Architecture and Urban Design, Scott prepared at the Phillips Exeter Academy, receiving a Classical Diploma with High Honors.

Scott holds a Masters in Architecture from Yale University and became a registered architect in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1985. He appeared as the “in house” architect on the award-winning WGBH TV Series “This Old House” back in the heyday 1985-87 (you’ll have to look for him in the “TOH Classics” section…)

At Auburn, he has taught in all curricula in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture, with a concentration in studio design, history, urban design and the impact of place on people. He teaches “Appreciation of Architecture” as a core curriculum offering for non-majors, encouraging each student to engage the built environment around them, and to become strong stewards and pro-active citizens in shaping that world.

The APLA Rome Program was established in 2005, and in 2008 joined forces with the University of Arkansas Rome Center, which began in 1987. The Rome Center continues to grow and welcome new program initiatives.

Scott is deeply honored and excited to be a member of the Auburn University Global Teaching Academy.