Campus & Community: Together for Good

It is not taking long at all for the new name to catch on: Hirvonen Hall.

Named for Peg and Ray Hirvonen in recognition of the family’s legacy of extraordinary leadership and generosity, the iconic former Hancock Central High School building now delivers Finlandia’s gold-star accredited health sciences programs. Additional funding for the renovation of interior spaces and state-of-the-art technology was provided by many other friends and alumni whose support is recognized with named classrooms, labs and offices. Two foundations, the Towsley Foundation and Portage Health Foundation, continue to provide generous, annual major gift funding for technology and student scholarships.

“The new spaces have fundamentally changed the educational atmosphere. The open floor concept is so welcoming,” Associate Professor of Nursing and RN to BSN Program Coordinator Irina Sergeyeva said. “Each cohort has its designated floor where classrooms, labs, and instructors’ offices are clustered. The design strengthens instructor-student interaction,” Sergeyeva was the spring 2021 recipient of Finlandia’s 2021 Board of Trustees Rising Star Faculty Award.

Hirvonen Hall not only delivers Finlandia’s health sciences offerings. The fourth floor is the location for Finlandia’s Esports arena and other education and wellness organizations. The gymnasium and auditorium will serve University functions as well as provide additional recreational and performance spaces for Copper Country residents and organizations. Close collaboration with the City of Hancock has resulted in more robust community-building activities hosted on the grassy hillside and lawn known as Quincy Green.

Today’s Hirvonen Hall and McAfee Field, formerly Condon Field, are two anchor components of a continuing multi-year partnership with Hancock Public Schools, Campus and Community: Together for Good. The third component is the Hancock Promise, a dedicated tuition remission program for Hancock High School graduates enrolling at Finlandia. Those eligible to receive the Promise may earn a Finlandia four-year degree for $10,000, or $2,500 per year, which can be covered by other forms of financial aid such as outside scholarships and federal loans.

Hirvonen Hall, McAfee Field and Quincy Green express well Finlandia’s conviction that we are in this together, for good.

Article originally shared in the Bridge Magazine 2021, Volume 74, Number 1.

About the Bridge Magazine

The Bridge is Finlandia University’s annual magazine. A full archive of past issues can be found in PDF form at finlandia.edu/thebridge. If you would like to be on the mailing list of this magazine, please e-mail kailee.laplander@finlandia.edu and we’ll be sure to add you to the list for the next edition, due out in November 2022.