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NEW 2 2 PTA PROGRAM OFFERS PATH TO DPTFinlandia’s newest 2 2 offering pairs the popular associatedegree in Physical Therapy Assistant with a bachelor’sdegree in Liberal Arts to create a pathway to a Doctor’s ofPhysical Therapy program.FINLANDIA LISTED IN TOP 30 BESTNURSING SCHOOLS IN MICHIGANFinlandia University has been listed as one of the Top 30Best Nursing Schools in Michigan according to NursingSchools Almanac. Nursing Schools Almanac researchedover 3,000 schools in the country on the institution’sacademic prestige and perceived value, the breadth anddepth of nursing programs offered and finally studentsuccess, particularly on the NCLEX licensure examination.Graduates of FinnU’s prelicensure BSN program consistentlyperform strongly on the NCLEX-RN national licensureexamination, including a perfect 100 percent first-time passrate in 2016 and 2019.BUSINESS STUDENTS ASSIST AREA FIRMSWITH INTERNATIONAL EXPANSIONThis spring, students in the International School of Business’sGlobal Entrepreneurship class worked with two areabusinesses to develop plans that assisted them in expandingtheir international operations. For the Lake Linden-basedcompany, NECi Superior Enzymes, students exploredopportunities for expansion into the eastern Europeanmarket. For ProNav Marine of Hancock, students put a plantogether to allow the company to expand its internationalsales in Canada, Australia, and the Nordic countries ofNorway, Sweden, and Finland.81 GRADUATE DURING VIRTUAL COMMENCEMENTThe Finlandia University Class of 2020 had a graduationceremony unlike any other. On May 21, 81 students hadtheir degrees conferred in a virtual ceremony. The ceremonyfeatured alumna, Darlene King (‘90, Liberal Arts) as thekeynote speaker and Nicholas Tobey (‘20, Accounting) asthe student speaker. The full graduation can be viewed onFinlandia’s YouTube channel.FINNU NAMED A TOP 30LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE INTHE MIDWESTFinlandia University wasnamed a Top 30 LiberalArts College in the Midwestaccording to Great ValueColleges. “We are the only liberal artsuniversity in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.Our tuition is competitive and the quality of theeducational experience here is outstanding.We are proud of the programs we offer andthe success of our students,” said VicePresident for Academic Affairs Dr. FredideYampert.SCAS EXPANDS MAJORAND MINOR OFFERINGSThe Suomi College of Arts & Sciences (SCAS)began offering a Bachelor of Science option inBiology and Psychology this fall. It previouslyonly offered a Bachelor of Arts in bothdegrees. SCAS also introduced three newminors: Military Science, Global Studies, andCreative Writing.NEW STUDENT HEALTH CLINIC OPENSFinlandia has partnered with the Upper GreatLakes Family Health Clinic to open a newstudent health clinic in Nikander Hall. Run byCindy Blake, NP, and staffed by nursingstudents, the clinic will provide basic careservices for students and employees while givinghealth sciences students the opportunity to gainhands-on experience working with patients.3RD RANKED ONLINERN-BSN PROGRAM IN MIFinlandiaUniversity’sOnline RN-BSN programwas ranked third in the2020 – Best Online RNBSNProgramsinMichigan by Registered Nursing.“At Finlandia,we recognize the challenge of balancingschool with other commitments and havecreated a well-rounded program that offers theflexibility needed for students to achieve theirgoals,” said Lori Sullivan, Director of the RNBSN program. This honor is the third thatFinlandia’s Online RN-BSN program hasreceived in two years.finlandia.edu5

PRESIDENT JOHNSON CALLSSOCIAL JUSTICE TASK FORCEIn the wake of the murder of George Floyd by localenforcement officers this summer, President Johnsoncreated the President’s Social Justice Task Force. TheTask Force, led by TRIO Director Cindy Cowell andcomposed of students, faculty and staff, seeks to beadvocates for social justice in the campus communityand identify places on campus to improve support fordisenfranchised populations.FOLK SCHOOL LOOKS FORWARDTO BUILDING ON SUCCESSThough the pandemic has temporarily halted publicoperations of the Finnish American Folk School (FAFS),organizers have been planning for a post-COVID worldand are preparing a slate of Nordic and folk artprograms, building on the recent successes of the FolkSchool – which is the only exclusively Finnish folk schoolin North America. The FAFS team is enthusiastic,buoyed by the results of their most recent courses, whichhave included Lapland boot (lapikkaat) making, folkdancing, birchbark harvesting and instrument making, toname a few. Stay up to date on all Folk Schoolprogramming at finlandia.edu/fahcALPHA LAMBDA DELTA CELEBRATES 5 YEARSThis year, Finlandia’s Alpha Lambda Delta (ALD)chapter celebrates its fifth anniversary. The ALD is aNational Honor Society for First-Year Success and tobecome a member, students must earn a 3.5 GPA orhigher in their first semester at Finlandia. “ALD, asidefrom being a resume line, offers competitivescholarships for graduate school and study abroad,and provides opportunities for leadership on campus aswell as access to leadership development through thenational organization,” said Erin Barnett, Finlandia’sDean of Students and ALD Chapter Founder. Since2015, 62 Finlandia students have been inducted intothe National ALD.6 the Bridge 2020PAAVO NURMI CENTER UNDERGOES UPDATESThe Paavo Nurmi Center gym underwent severalchanges this summer including painting the ceilingblack, and a refinished floor by Horner Flooring.“I’m incredibly happy with the Paavo updates,” saidWomen’s Basketball Head Coach Mariah Dunham.“It’s important that we do as much as we can to staycompetitive in a recruiting aspect, and the gym iscertainly a big part of that recruiting piece. I’mexcited to have a game day experience with thenew looks.”ISB LAUNCHES E-NEWSLETTERThe Finlandia International School of Business (ISB) haslaunched a new e-newsletter. The e-newsletter allowspeople to stay up-to-date on the ISB alumni, facultyand program news. Currently, the newsletter isscheduled to go out once a semester, but KevinManninen, Dean of the ISB, is eager to send it outmore frequently. Sign up to receive the newsletter atfinlandia.edu/business.FINNU INTRODUCES NEW CERTIFICATESFinlandia University is excited to announce newonline certificate offerings in Marketing, SportsManagement, and Teaching & Learning: ProfessionalDevelopment. Each certificate consists of four, fiveweek long courses that e-learners can complete ontheir own time. A full certificate could be earned bytaking two courses at once for a total of 10 weeks. Elearners also have the option of completing onecourse at a time, for a total of 20 weeks. E-learnerscan also opt to take courses à la carte, if they are notinterested in completing the entire certificate. Learnmore at finlandia.edu/certificates.

GARY BLACK took over as Chief Financial Officer atFinnU last December. Black previously worked as theSenior Financial Director at DRS Naval Power Systemsin Milwaukee and has almost 40 years of experience infinancial and leadership roles that span two continents.Past employers include Johnson & Johnson, Pearl Vision,Quelle AG in Austria, and Trident Maritime Systems,among others.Black brought on CYRIL FOXPETROV as AccountingManager in January and ALBERT HAMMOND (‘20,Accounting) as an Accountant. FoxPetrov was born andraised in Madison, Wis. and graduated from theUniversity of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a degree inAccounting in 2014, and earned his Masters inProfessional Accountancy in 2015.MARIE BONENFANT (‘13) recently moved back to theFinancial Aid department as a Financial Aid Counselorafter working in North Wind Books as a Book Clerk forthe past few years. Bonenfant previously worked as aFinancial Aid Counselor until 2018. Taking her place atNorth Wind Books is CINDY LORENZ, who previouslyworked in Accounts Payable at the Business office.JASON DART joined the FinnUadmissions team in October 2020and will be assisting men’s athleticsprospects with their admissionsneeds. Dart moved to the UP fromFlorida where he’s most recentlyserved as a middle and high schoolteacher. Dart also has experience asan admissions recruiter for LeCordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Orlando andNational College in Charlottesville, Va.GINA GELICHE (‘19, Fiber & FashionDesign) joined the FinnU admissionsteam in winter 2020. Geliche was amember of the Servant LeadershipHouse, Helsinki Slang, a PalahemioFellow and a member of the YoungWomen’s Caucus for Art while astudent at FinnU. She will berecruiting business majors andstudents from upper Michigan.SCOTT HENDRICKSON has been promoted to Head ofSecurity for Finlandia. Hendrickson has worked as asecurity officer at FinnU since 2008 and assumed hisnew role in August 2020.LAUREN HUESTED joined the FInnUadmissions team in October 2020and will be assisting the women’sathletic prospects with their admissionsneeds. Huested has worked closelywith Dean of Enrollment AnthonySchwass previously as an AdmissionsCounselor at Davenport University inGrand Rapids, Mich.JOE KOEPEL (‘00) has taken the role of HumanResources Director at FinnU. Koepel is a Suomi Collegegraduate and most recently worked as the President ofEdgewood Education Group as an executive recruiterfor engineering firms, and colleges and universities.NATHAN PERREAULT (‘12 MedicalBilling & Coding, ‘14 HealthcareManagement) joined the Inter national School of Business this pastyear as an Assistant Professor ofManagement. Perreault has a Master’sdegree in Business Administration fromWestern Governors University and willbe teaching leadership team skills,principles of management, business finance, and businessresearch.ANTHONY SCHWASS was namedas Finlandia’s new Dean ofEnrollment in March 2020. Hecame to FinnU from DavenportUniversity where he worked his wayup from Admissions Officer toDirector in four years. During histime at Davenport, he revolutionizedtheir existing customer relationshipmanagement system, led strategic partnerships with over130 key high schools and technical career centers, andexceeded student enrollment targets at 111 percent.Schwass earned his BBA in Human ResourcesManagement in 2016 and his MBA in 2018, both fromDavenport.SHERRY WYETH joined theadmissions team as a recruiter forthe College of Health Sciences andtransfer students in winter 2020.Wyeth has experience workingalongside FinnU CHS alumni in thefield, and says she wants to be apart of bringing more of them intothe world.finlandia.edu7

The first assignment in the Sisu Seminar course takenby all incoming Finlandia students is to write a shortreflection on the value of education. Students usedphrases like “to help me find my calling,” and “to makeme a better person,” or “to do something that makes animpact in the world as well as makes me happy” indescribing how they see the value of education. Theyare not only interested in knowing what kind of workthey’re preparing for, but why that work matters and howit relates to their personal well-being.The 2019 study “Forging Pathways to Purposeful Work”conducted by Gallup with Bates College promotes careerplanning that addresses the “why” of work. They found that80 percent of college graduates desire work that ispurposeful, but less than half actually find meaning andpurpose in their work. The study refers to this as the “purposegap” and concludes that “colleges and universities maybenefit from focusing on how to prepare students to leadmeaningful and engaged professional lives.”As an expression of Finlandia University’s commitment toaccompany the whole student toward a whole life, TheSeaton Center for Vocation and Career (CVC) aims toprepare students for rich professional lives in which theyfind meaning and purpose. The CVC has been underdevelopment for the past year, supported by funds froma NetVUE grant and the generosity of the Seaton family.Examine yourStrengths8 the Bridge 2020“The reason Erin (Barnett) and I applied for this grant istwofold,” said Dr. René Johnson, the Director of Vocationand Servant Leadership at the CVC. “One, werecognized all the good efforts on campus to workclosely with students, but also the need to consolidatethose efforts and even increase opportunities for studentsto receive career guidance. Two, Finlandia values theholistic approach, combining opportunities for bothpersonal and professional development, which occurswith the marriage of vocational discernment and careerbuilding experiences.”The CVC staff, which includes Johnson and Emma Dorst,the Director of Career Services, have developed aframework for charting career pathways that integratesthe concepts of Vocation and Career into a holistic visionof professional development through which students seethe possibilities within themselves and in the widerworld. The CVC works collaboratively with academicadvisors, community leaders and student supportservices to offer layers of support and challenge in boththe “why” and the “what” of career preparation.All incoming Finlandia students take an initial step incharting their pathway to purposeful work by examiningtheir strengths. Students complete the CliftonStrengths assessment followed by a 40-minute coaching sessionwith Johnson, who is a Gallup certified strengths coach.Explore yourPossibilitiesEnlarge yourWorld

“My initial thoughts of the Strength’s Finder exercise was thatI was excited to understand more about myself and thatmaybe it would give me a different perspective of myselfbecause, as an individual I always go straight to thenegatives,” said Jordan Pertile, a freshman pre-nursing majorfrom Hancock, Mich. who hopes to become a travelingnurse one day. “I had a great experience doing this exerciseand it helped more when we had our individual meetingswith Johnson because she explained each strength andgave me more knowledge. It made me realize that Ishouldn’t be so hard on myself because it was all positive.”Another incoming student affirmed that, “Without this[strengths assessment] I would still be lost without being ona path; but now I have been put on a path and I amblessed to be shown a way to find and better myself whilestill helping others.”Dorst’s role is to help students plot a course that takes fulladvantage of their time at Finlandia by exploring academic,co-curricular, and fieldwork opportunities. This approachprepares students to enter the world of work or furthereducation, equipped with a strong sense of vocation,applicable skills and the ability to articulate their talents.Understanding that we learn the most about ourselveswhen we venture beyond our comfort zones, the CVC alsoencourages students to expand their horizons. The staff canhelp students consider and apply for internships, studyabroad, or community service opportunities.Finally, the CVC staff prepare students to confidently andclearly express the self-worth they obtain when they honortheir academic preparation, life experience, and uniquepersonhood. Workshops, events, and one-on-oneconsultations help students enlarge their networks ofopportunity, create strong applications, and chart pathwaystoward a professional life that is engaging and purposeful.“I think it definitely will help me have a better understandingof myself and that I will be able to put myself out there moreand not be so scared or insecure because the strengths Ihave are something that I should be proud of and notsomething I should hide,” said Pertile. “Everyone has theirown strengths, it just depends on how you use them.”Express yourWorthEmma Dorst joined Finlandia in August 2020 asDirector of Career Services for the CVC. Overthe last 10 years, Dorst has worked for nonprofit organizations in the fields of education,research, direct service, and program designand administration.Originally from Wyoming, Dorst earned her BAat Oberlin College in Ohio, majoring in Russianand East European studies and politics. Shesubsequently moved to the country of Georgia,where she lectured at the Telavi State Universityfor two years, preparing students to enter theinternational job market. In 2014, she earnedher MA in International Migration at theUniversity of Kent's Brussels School ofInternational Studies. From Brussels she moved toWashington, D.C., where she spent the last fiveyears working in international policy analysisand refugee resettlement. Along the way, shegained expertise in many aspects of theemployment process, overseeing professionalhiring processes, managing internship programs,and providing career preparation support todiverse groups, including university students,interns, asylum seekers, and resettled refugees.In her work with the CVC, Dorst looks forwardto helping students recognize and articulate theskills and talents they develop throughout theirtime at Finlandia. “I want to help people thinkmore broadly about the meaning of 'career' andhow they measure personal and professionalsuccess,” said Dorst.Her favorite aspect of working at Finlandia ishow closely she can partner with students tohelp them expand their interests, dispense withlimiting self-perceptions, and open themselvesup to new, exciting visions of their future.finlandia.edu9

ADVANCEMENTremarked, when reflecting on the lessons learned fromthe Great Depression, “Finlandia seems to do a lot withjust a little. I value that.” WR’s unwavering commitmentsto Finlandia are no more evident than in his 44 years ofservice as a member of Finlandia’s Board of Trusteesfrom 1968 to 2012.GRANT RESTORES KALEVALA PAINTINGThrough the financial support of Finlandia FoundationNational and Suomi Seura, and the skillful anddelicate work of a Detroit-area art conservator, apainting and an early draft of an illustration for“Kalevala” by Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865-1931), oneof the most historically significant works of art in theFinnish American Historical Archive collection, nowlooks brand-new.PAYING TRIBUTEEach issue of the Bridge recognizes friends and alumniwhom we have lost. With this fall 2020 issue, Finlandiawishes to pay brief tribute to two individuals whosegenerosity and leadership have left an enduring mark.Very successful Wisconsin businessmen, both of them.One built things. The other sold things. Each lived intotheir nineties. This past June, they died one day apart:Oscar Charles (OC) Boldt, the builder, at the age of 96,died on June 9. William Raymond (WR) Sauey, thesalesman, died on June 10, at the age of 92. OC onceHOW TO SAVE TAXES IF YOU ARE 70 ½ YEARS OLDAn easy way for retirees to support and fund annual donations to nonprofits such as Finlandia University is by designating your RequiredMinimum Distribution (RMD) directly to theorganization. An RMD is the minimum dollaramount you must withdraw from your retirementaccount each year. Once you reach age 70 ½, you generally have to start taking withdrawals fromyour IRA, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, or retirement planaccount. By directing your RMD to a non-profit, tax-exempt organization, you can help to avoidpaying taxes on your annual required withdrawal.10 the Bridge 2020It was in the fall of 2017 that these two men and theirspouses first started to visit together about their affinitiesfor Finlandia and the Upper Peninsula. Some monthslater, a challenge was issued and met, culminating in a 1,000,000 gift. Other significant gifts preceded andothers have followed. Both men, both families, like somany other friends and alumni, chose and choose tolive generously with others. Finlandia i

Finlandia University has been listed as one of the Top 30. Best Nursing Schools in Michigan according to Nursing . Schools Almanac. Nursing Schools Almanac researched over 3,000 schools in the country on the institution's academic prestige and perceived value, the breadth and depth of nursing programs offered and finally student