Greetings!
Although it applies to weather conditions, the saying about March coming in like a lion certainly came true for the Finnish-American community in 2023.
On March 2, we were hit by the announcement from Finlandia University in Hancock, Michigan, that it is closing its doors at the end of the current semester.
Established in 1896 as Suomi College, it is the last institution of higher learning in North America founded by Finns. The campus is also home to cultural treasures, including the Finnish American Heritage Center, as well as the monthly Finnish American Reporter.
The trustees of Finlandia Foundation National immediately met and agreed to form a task force for the purpose of working with the university to preserve the FAHC and news publication, as well as vast archives and collections, the folk school, art gallery, war museum and North Wind Books.
The FFN board strongly believes in the utmost importance of maintaining these one-of-a-kind resources and programs, and that it is aligned with our organization's mission, since it was founded in 1953.
Finlandia University and FFN issued a statement about the situation, and representatives from both are working on the myriad of details and information involved in such an endeavor.
See below for links to the full press release and a few articles related to this announcement.
It has been just one week since we sprang into action on this. There are many questions and much to be done, including creating a campaign dedicated to funding this undertaking.
We are confident that this is the correct response and role for Finlandia Foundation in its 70th year of keeping Finland in America.
Anne-Mari Paster
President