Finlandia University was a private

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

from 1896 to 2023 in Hancock, Michigan. It was the only private university in the Upper Peninsula. Founded in 1896 as Suomi Opisto (Finnish College) and Theological Seminary, it was affiliated with the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA was officially formed on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies. As of December 31, 2023, it ...

. The university closed after the spring semester of 2023 due to enrollment and financial challenges.

History

Finlandia University was founded as Suomi College 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 (, ) are a Baltic Finns, 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 cou ...

immigrated to Hancock, Michigan to labor in the

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) 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 pinkish-orang ...

and

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

industries. As a mission pastor of the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America 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 region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

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 () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...

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, 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 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. A marker designating the college and its Old Main building as Michigan Historic Sites was erected by the Michigan Historical Commission in 1991. 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 and American Architecture, 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 Ee ...

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 was affiliated with the Lutheran church since its inception and in 1988, became affiliated with the

. The curriculum, campus events, and the community explored the value of faith, vocation, and service. Finlandia University was 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. In 1996, the university transitioned from a two-year college to a four-year university. Starting with the 2020–21 academic year, Finlandia's admissions policy contained no requirements for

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

or ACT scores, only requiring a secondary school transcript. On October 6, 2021, the 16th president, Rev. Dr. Philip R. Johnson, announced he intended to retire at the end of the 2021–22 academic year. On May 4, 2022, Finlandia announced Timothy Pinnow would become the next president effective July 1, 2022. On March 2, 2023, Timothy Pinnow announced that Finlandia University would close after the spring 2023 semester. Pinnow cited a lack of interest in enrollment and the debt load of the university as factors in shutting down operations. The university's board of trustees voted on March 14, 2023, to officially dissolve the university. Finlandia also announced that some staff had been laid off to free up funding for operations related to student transfers. They also announced that all other staff would be laid off following commencement. The university set up agreements for students to finish their education at Michigan Technological University, Bay de Noc Community College, Adrian College,

Wartburg College Wartburg College is a Private college, private Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Lutheran Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Waverly, Iowa. History Wartburg College was founded in 1852 in Saginaw, Michig ...

, Northern Michigan University and a few other colleges.

Campus

Finlandia University's campus was located in Hancock, Michigan, on the

Keweenaw Peninsula The Keweenaw Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Part of the greater landmass of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula, the Keweenaw Peninsula projects about northeasterly into Lake Superior, forming Keweena ...

in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The Keweenaw Peninsula stretches north into

Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

. Old main suomi.jpg, Old Main, 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, was the Finnish American Heritage Center which hosted numerous university and community events and housed a museum, art gallery, and theater. The Finnish American Historical Archives are located there as of November 2024. The Finlandia Foundation National (FFN) purchased the Finnish American Heritage Center, the Finnish American Historical Archive, the Finlandia Art Gallery, the Finnish American Folk School, the Price of Freedom Museum, The Finnish American Reporter and the North Wind Books store in 2024.

Academics

Finlandia's most popular undergraduate majors, by 2021 graduates, were: Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse (7), Small Business Administration/Management (5), Criminal Justice/Police Science (5), Business Administration, Management and Operations (4), and Psychology (4).

Athletics

There were 12

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

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

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, played individually or as teams. ...

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

Football

Finlandia University's football team played its first season in the Fall of 2015. From 2015-2017, they played football in Division III as an independent. For the 2018 and 2019 seasons, Finlandia competed in the

Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) is an List of NCAA conferences, intercollegiate athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's Division III (NCAA), Division III. There are nine ...

. After they did not play during the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they joined the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Over seven seasons, the team compiled a 5-56 record, scoring 575 points and having 2,711 points scored against for an average of 45 points per game.

Ice Hockey

Finlandia University had both men's and women's Division III ice hockey teams. The men's team played their first season beginning in 2001, and the women's beginning in 2004. They played their games at Houghton County Arena. From 2004 to 2013, they played in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association conference, and from 2013 to 2023 in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association conference. From 2004 to 2023, the men's team compiled a record of 105-279-19. In the 2007-2008 season, the team compiled a 14-6 record and defeated

Milwaukee School of Engineering The Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) is a private university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1903, the university has a primary focus on undergraduate engineering education with additional programs in business, mathem ...

to be crowned MCHC Champions.

Esports

Finlandia introduced

in the Fall of 2020 to be run under the direction of Finlandia's Athletic Department. The school's first season included nine games: '' Overwatch'', ''

Call of Duty ''Call of Duty'' is a first-person shooter military video game series and media franchise published by Activision, starting in 2003. The games were first developed by Infinity Ward, then by Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games. Several spin-of ...

'', '' Fortnite'', ''

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

'', '' Madden NFL'', '' Super Smash Brothers'', ''

League of Legends ''League of Legends'' (''LoL'', commonly referred to as ''League'', is a multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by ''Defense of the Ancients'', a Mod (video games), custom map for ''Warcraf ...

'', ''

Hearthstone ''Hearthstone'' is a 2014 Online game, online digital collectible card game, digital collectible card video game produced by Blizzard Entertainment, released under the free-to-play model. Originally subtitled ''Heroes of Warcraft'', ''Hearthsto ...

'', and '' Rocket League''. The team competed in the Eastern College Athletic Conference and played their games at Hirvonen Hall from 2022-2023.

Conference affiliation

* Coast to Coast Athletic Conference: baseball, men's & women's basketball, men's & women's soccer, softball, volleyball * Northern Collegiate Hockey Association: men's (since 2013) & women's (since 2003) ice hockey * Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: football (since 2021)

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of Finlandia University include: * Trent Daavettila, ice hockey player * Ryan Donovan, ice hockey player * Sanna Kannasto, labor activist and feminist * Medaria Arradondo, 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 Universities and colleges established in 1896 Finnish-American culture in Michigan Finnish-American history Hancock, Michigan Liberal arts colleges in Michigan Private universities and colleges in Michigan Educational institutions disestablished in 2023 2023 disestablishments in Michigan