Finlandia University was a private university located in Hancock, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1896 as Suomi Opisto (Finnish College) and Theological Seminary and was connected to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It was the only private university in the Upper Peninsula. The university stopped operating after the spring semester of 2023 because of challenges related to the number of students and financial difficulties.

History

Finlandia University was first established as Suomi College on September 8, 1896, by J. K. Nikander. In the 1880s, many Finns moved to Hancock, Michigan, to work in copper and lumber industries. As a pastor for the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America in Hancock, Nikander noticed that Swedish and Finnish immigrants near the Delaware River did not train new ministers, which worried him about losing Finnish traditions. Suomi College was created to protect Finnish culture, train Lutheran ministers, and teach English. In the 1920s, Suomi College became a liberal arts college, and in 1958, its seminary separated from the college. On July 1, 2000, Suomi College was renamed Finlandia University.

The cornerstone of Old Main, the first building at Suomi College, was placed on May 30, 1898. Jacobsville sandstone, taken from the Portage Entry of the Keweenaw waterway, was transported by barge, cut, and used to build Old Main. Completed on January 21, 1900, the building included a dormitory, kitchen, laundry, classrooms, offices, library, chapel, and lounge. In 1991, the Michigan Historical Commission placed a marker designating the college and Old Main as Michigan Historic Sites.

As the college grew, it outgrew Old Main. In 1901, a wooden building was built nearby to house a gym, meeting hall, and music center. This building was later removed when Nikander Hall, named after Suomi’s founder, was built in 1939. Nikander Hall was designed by the architectural firm of Eliel Saarinen and J. Robert F. Swanson. Today, the main campus includes Old Main, 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 connected to the Lutheran church since its founding. In 1988, it became affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The university’s curriculum, events, and community focused on faith, work, and service. Finlandia was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association for Colleges and Schools. In 1996, the university changed from a two-year institution to a four-year university. Starting in the 2020–21 academic year, Finlandia no longer required SAT or ACT scores for admissions, only requiring a high school transcript.

In 2022, Philip R. Johnson was replaced by Timothy Pinnow as the university’s president. On March 2, 2023, Pinnow announced that Finlandia University would close after the spring 2023 semester. He stated that low student enrollment and high debt were reasons for the closure. On March 14, 2023, the university’s board of trustees voted to officially dissolve the university. Finlandia also announced that some staff members would be laid off to help fund student transfers. All other staff would be laid off after graduation.

To help students finish their education, Finlandia arranged agreements with several colleges, including Michigan Technological University, Bay de Noc Community College, Adrian College, Wartburg College, Northern Michigan University, and others. Michigan Tech was also given responsibility for managing Finlandia’s academic records and transcripts.

Campus

Finlandia University's campus was located in Hancock, Michigan, on the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The Keweenaw Peninsula extends north toward Lake Superior. The central building on campus was called "Old Main" and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

• Old Main, between 1900 and 1906
• Old Main in 2008
• Finlandia Hall

Also part of Finlandia University, and helping both the university and the local community, was the Finnish American Heritage Center. This building hosted many university and community events and had a museum, art gallery, and theater. The Finnish American Historical Archives are located there as of November 2024.

The Finlandia Foundation National (FFN) acquired 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

In 2021, the most popular undergraduate majors at Finlandia 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

Finlandia University offered 12 NCAA Division III sports. The teams, called the Lions, mainly competed in the Coast to Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) since 2020. Women's sports included basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, soccer, softball, and volleyball. Men's sports included baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, and soccer. Co-ed Esports were added as varsity-level sports in the 2020–2021 season.

Finlandia University's men's baseball team joined the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) in 2018 and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in 2019. As a member of the CUNYAC, the team reached the postseason once, finishing with a 10–18 record and placing third in the conference tournament. Between 2011 and 2022, the team had a 51–291 win-loss record.

Finlandia University's football team began playing in the Fall of 2015. From 2015 to 2017, they played as an independent in Division III. In 2018 and 2019, they joined the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. They did not play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and joined the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Over seven seasons, the team had a 5–56 record, scoring 575 points and allowing 2,711 points for an average of 45 points per game.

Finlandia University had men's and women's Division III ice hockey teams. The men's team started in 2001, and the women's team started in 2004. They played games at Houghton County Arena. From 2004 to 2013, they were in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association. From 2013 to 2023, they were in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association. From 2004 to 2023, the men's team had a record of 105–279–19. In the 2007–2008 season, the team had a 14–6 record and defeated Milwaukee School of Engineering to win the MCHC Championship.

Finlandia introduced Esports in the Fall of 2020, managed by the Athletic Department. The first season included nine games: Overwatch, Call of Duty, Fortnite, FIFA, Madden NFL, Super Smash Bros., League of Legends, Hearthstone, and Rocket League. The team competed in the Eastern College Athletic Conference and played games at Hirvonen Hall from 2022 to 2023. In 2022, the school's Valorant team won the National Esports Collegiate Conference National Championship in the Navigators Division.

• 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, worker rights advocate and supporter of equal rights for women
• Medaria Arradondo, Police Chief of the Minneapolis Police Department
• John Raymond Ylitalo, twenty-ninth United States Ambassador to Paraguay