Finlandia University is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

Hancock, Michigan Hancock is a city in Houghton County, Michigan, Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is across the Keweenaw Waterway from the city of Houghton, Michigan, Houghton on the Keweenaw Peninsula. The population was 4,634 at the 2010 United ...

. It is the only private university in the

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by t ...

. Founded in 1896 as The Suomi College and Theological Seminary, it is affiliated with the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant Lutheran church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA was officially formed on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies. , it has approxim ...

History

Suomi College was founded on September 8, 1896, by J. K. Nikander (b. 1855, Hämeenlinna, Finland, d. 1919). During the 1880s, large numbers of

Finns Finns or Finnish people ( fi, suomalaiset, ) are a Baltic Finnic ethnic group native to Finland. Finns are traditionally divided into smaller regional groups that span several countries adjacent to Finland, both those who are native to these ...

immigrated Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

to labor in the

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

and

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

industries. As a mission pastor of the

Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America The Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (commonly known as the Suomi Synod, ) was a Lutheran church body which existed in the United States from 1890 until 1962. History The Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (FELC) was ...

headquartered in Hancock, Nikander observed that Swedish and Finnish immigrants along the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

did not train new ministers, and he feared a loss of Finnish identity. The college's role was to preserve Finnish culture, train Lutheran ministers and teach English. During the 1920s, Suomi College became a

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...

college and in 1958, the seminary separated from the college. On July 1, 2000, Suomi College changed its name to Finlandia University. The cornerstone of

Old Main Old Main is a term often applied to the original building present on college or university campuses in the United States. The building serves today as home to administrative offices, such as the president or provost, but in its early inception may ...

, the first building erected at Suomi College, was laid on May 30, 1898.

Jacobsville sandstone Jacobsville Sandstone is a red sandstone formation, marked with light-colored streaks and spots, primarily found in northern Upper Michigan, portions of Ontario, and under much of Lake Superior. Desired for its durability and aesthetics, the san ...

, quarried at the Portage Entry of the

Keweenaw The Keweenaw Peninsula ( , sometimes locally ) is the northernmost part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It projects into Lake Superior and was the site of the first copper boom in the United States, leading to its moniker of "Copper Country." As ...

waterway, was brought by barge, cut, and used to construct the Old Main. Dedicated on January 21, 1900, it contained a dormitory, kitchen, laundry, classrooms, offices, library, chapel, and lounge. The burgeoning college quickly outgrew this building. In 1901 a frame structure, housing a gym, meeting hall, and music center, was erected on an adjacent lot. The frame building was demolished when Nikander Hall, named for Suomi's founder, was constructed in 1939. The hall was designed by the architectural firm of

Eliel Saarinen Gottlieb Eliel Saarinen (, ; August 20, 1873 – July 1, 1950) was a Finnish-American architect known for his work with art nouveau buildings in the early years of the 20th century. He was also the father of famed architect Eero Saarinen. Lif ...

and J. Robert F. Swanson. In addition to Old Main, the present day main campus consists of Nikander Hall, Mannerheim Hall, Wargelin Hall, Finlandia Hall, the Paavo Nurmi Center for Physical Education, the Kivi House, Hoover Center, the Finnish American Heritage Center, the Chapel of St. Matthew, and the Jutila Center. Finlandia University has been a university of the Lutheran church since its inception. In 1988, the university became affiliated with the

. The curriculum, campus events, and the community explore the value of faith, vocation, and service. Finlandia University is accredited by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

of the North Central Association for Colleges and Schools (NCA-HLC). In 1996, the university transitioned from a two-year college to a four-year university. Since the 2020–21 academic year, Finlandia's admissions policy contains no requirements for academic credentials other than secondary school transcripts, such as

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...

or ACT scores. A marker designating the college and its Old Main building as Michigan Historic Sites was erected by the

Michigan Historical Commission Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

in 1991. The inscriptions read:

Old Main Suomi College was founded in 1896 by the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. The cornerstone of Old Main, the first building erected at Suomi College, was laid on May 30, 1898. Jacobsville sandstone, quarried at the Portage Entry of the Keweenaw waterway, was brought here by barge, cut, and used to construct Old Main. Dedicated on January 21, 1900, it contained a dormitory, kitchen, laundry, classrooms, offices, library, chapel, and lounge. The burgeoning college quickly outgrew this building, and in 1901 a frame structure, housing a gym, meeting hall, and music center was erected on an adjacent lot. The frame building was demolished when Nikander Hall, named for Suomi’s founder, J. K. Nikander, was constructed in 1939. The hall was designed by the architectural firm of Saarinen and Swanson. Suomi College In the 1880s large numbers of Finns immigrated to Hancock to labor in the copper and lumber industries. One immigrant, mission pastor J. K. Nikander of the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, headquartered in Hancock, wanted to ensure seminary training in America. He had observed that Swedish and Finnish immigrants along the Delaware River did not train new ministers, and he feared a loss of Finnish identity. In 1896 Nikander founded Suomi College. The college’s role was to preserve Finnish culture, train Lutheran ministers and teach English. During the 1920s Suomi became a liberal arts college. In 1958 the seminary separated from the college. Four years later the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America merged with other mainstream Lutheran churches.

On October 6, 2021, the university's Board of Trustees formally accepted a letter from its and current president, Rev. Dr. Philip R. Johnson, informing them of his intention to retire at the end of the 2021–22 academic term. On May 4, 2022, Finlandia announced Timothy Pinnow would become the next President effective July 1, 2022.

Campus

Finlandia University is located in

. The town is located on the

Keweenaw Peninsula The Keweenaw Peninsula ( , sometimes locally ) is the northernmost part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It projects into Lake Superior and was the site of the first copper boom in the United States, leading to its moniker of "Copper Country." As o ...

in Michigan's

. The Keweenaw Peninsula stretches north into

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

. Old main suomi.jpg,

, between 1900 and 1906 Finlandia old main.jpg, Old Main in 2008 Finlandia hall.jpg, Finlandia Hall

Finnish-American Heritage Center

Also part of Finlandia University, and serving both the campus and the community, is the Finnish American Heritage Center which hosts numerous university and community events and houses a museum, art gallery, and theater. The Finnish American Historical Archives are located here. North Winds Shops

The Lions Den of North Wind Books offers an extensive collection of quality adult and children's fiction and nonfiction publications, and textbooks. It also sells Finnish functional design items for the home, and university logo merchandise.

Athletics

There are 10

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their stu ...

athletic sports at Finlandia, whose teams are known as Lions, competing primarily as a member of the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) since 2020. Women's athletics include: basketball, ice hockey, soccer, softball and volleyball. Men's athletics include baseball, basketball, football, ice hockey and soccer.

Co-ed Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

Esports Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams. Although orga ...

were added as varsity-level sports in the 2020–2021 season.

Conference affiliation

* Coast to Coast Athletic Conference: baseball, men's & women's basketball, men's & women's soccer, softball, volleyball *

Northern Collegiate Hockey Association The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) is a college athletic conference which operates in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin in the midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division III as a hockey-on ...

: men's (since 2004) & women's (since 2003) ice hockey *

Upper Midwest Athletic Conference The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) is a college-level athletic conference. The UMAC is a conference of NCAA Division III since the 2008–09 season. Prior to that, it was a non scholarship conference affiliated with National Associatio ...

: football (since 2021)

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of Finlandia University include: *

Trent Daavettila Trent Daavettila (born September 3, 1984) is an American former professional ice hockey player who last played for and served as Captain for the Colorado Eagles of the ECHL. After beginning his college hockey career with Finlandia Universi ...

, ice hockey player *

Ryan Donovan Ryan Donovan (born December 20, 1987) is an American professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently a free agent. Career Donovan attended Finlandia University from 2007 to 2011, where he played in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association ...

, ice hockey player * Sanna Kannasto, labor activist and feminist *

Medaria Arradondo Medaria Arradondo is an American law enforcement official who served as the Chief of the Minneapolis Police Department from 2017 until 2022. He was the first black chief of the Minneapolis Police Department. Career A fifth-generation Minnesot ...

, Police Chief of the Minneapolis Police Department * John Raymond Ylitalo, 29th United States Ambassador to Paraguay

References

External links

*
Official Finlandia Lions athletics website
{{Authority control 1896 establishments in Michigan Buildings and structures in Houghton County, Michigan Education in Houghton County, Michigan Educational institutions established in 1896 Finnish-American culture in Michigan Finnish-American history Hancock, Michigan Liberal arts colleges in Michigan Private universities and colleges in Michigan