Tag Archive: Suomi College of Arts and Sciences

Dr. Richard Gee receiving 2022 Distinguished Faculty Award

July 13, 2022

Dr. Richard Gee earns 2022 Distinguished Faculty Award

Dr. Richard Gee joined Finlandia’s Suomi College of Arts & Sciences in 2012 when he was brought on to develop the University’s Criminal Justice curriculum. After revising, creating and teaching more than 30 different courses and establishing multiple articulation agreements for continued learning, Gee was honored at this year’s spring commencement with the 2022 Board of Trustees Distinguished Faculty Award.

“I was honored to be nominated by Dr. Virtanen for the award,” Gee said. “I [...]

February 11, 2022

Hirvonen Hall mural raises awareness of mental health

You won’t be able to miss the new addition to the third floor of Hirvonen Hall, a 20-foot canvas painted by campus and community members. The mural, located in Finlandia’s College of Health Sciences building, seemingly appeared out of thin air, but guiding sketches pinned to the wall traced us back to one of the most renowned mural artists in the area, Mariana Nakashima.

As Finlandia’s campus dedicated the past week to mental health awareness, breaking down stigma and opening up [...]

October 4, 2021

Meet Mariana Nakashima, new Administrative Assistant for ISB and SCAS

Joining Finlandia’s staff this fall as the new Administrative Assistant for the International School of Business (ISB) and Suomi College of Arts and Sciences (SCAS) is Mariana Nakashima.

Nakashima attended the University of Toledo while attaining her industrial engineering degree with a concentration in ergonomics. Bringing along years of experience in time management, policies and procedures from work in the auto industry, Nakashima also has experience in teaching Art and Spanish.

“Since I moved to the Keweenaw seven years ago, I have [...]

September 14, 2021

Growth at Finlandia, largest incoming class in five years

This fall, Finlandia University’s overall enrollment grew by six percent with the on-campus student population increasing by nine percent. This full-time-equivalent growth brought 25 more students to campus than in fall 2020, giving Finlandia an enrollment of 430. The fall 2021 incoming class is the largest since 2016 with Finlandia’s International School of Business realizing an all-time high of 137 degree-seeking majors. Nearly 70 percent of Finlandia’s fall 2021 student body is from Michigan and the Upper Great Lakes region [...]

meaning of sisu with Dr. Hilary Virtanen- background of text is of Lake Superior after sunset

April 14, 2021

No.1 U.K. Podcast Features Dr. Hilary Virtanen on the Meaning of Sisu

Most Finlandia students, faculty, and staff have heard the term sisu thrown around in conversations or even marketing materials on campus. The word is nothing new to FinnU, but in the United Kingdom, that may be otherwise. On April 14, FinnU professor of Finnish and Nordic studies, Dr. Hilary Virtanen, was featured in the No. 1 documentary podcast in the United Kingdom titled “Getting Emotional” about the meaning of sisu.

“If you talk about it [sisu] more thoroughly, it’s [...]

March 1, 2021

Student Spotlight: Rheanna Bain, Psychology Major

Rheanna Bain is a junior from Hawai’i studying psychology in the Suomi College of Arts & Sciences and is also on the FinnU Softball team. She hopes to pursue her Master’s in Social Work after graduating from FinnU. Learn more about Rheanna in her interview with Director of Marketing, Olivia Myers, below. What are you majoring in at Finlandia and why did you decide to study at FinnU? How did you end up at Finlandia all the way [...]

October 30, 2020

Dr. Virtanen to Present at Sonderegger Symposium on U.P. Studies Nov. 6

Dr. Hilary-Joy Virtanen, Assistant Professor of Finnish & Nordic Studies at Finlandia University, will present her research on Yooper stereotypes at Northern Michigan University’s annual Sonderegger Symposium on Upper Peninsula Studies on Friday, November 6. Traditionally, the symposium takes place on the campus of NMU in Marquette, but this year’s symposium will be an entirely virtual event that can be accessed through the Zoom online meeting platform.

The Sonderegger Symposium is a day-long event presenting the research of scholars and [...]

October 16, 2020

Exploring the History of American Presidential Elections with Dr. Knoblauch

Dr. William Knoblauch, History Professor

Finlandia Fridays is back this week with a special election edition. Host Olivia Myers talks with Finlandia History Professor Dr. William Knoblauch about the history of American presidential elections. Listeners submitted questions for Knoblauch to answer including ‘how important is the electoral college?’, ‘what happens if there’s a tie?’, and what other election seasons this one can be compared to.

“History is the act of asking why something happened and constructing an argument [...]

June 19, 2020

Dr. Virtanen to Host Free Virtual Midsummer Lecture on June 23

The burning of the kokko at the 2018 Juhannus celebration in Toivola, MI. Photo: Olivia Myers | FinnU Marketing

Dr. Hilary-Joy Virtanen will be hosting a free virtual Midsummer lecture on June 23 at 8pm EST/7pm CST. This event is hosted by the Finnish American Cultural Activities, a Finlandia Foundation chapter in the Twin Cities, Minnesota.

In the days of COVID when social distancing practices give us all pause to consider how to celebrate the Juhannus, join folklorist [...]

February 28, 2020

Arts & Sciences to offer B.S. in Biology, Psychology; two new minors beginning Fall 2020

Arts & Sciences will offer B.S. in Biology, Psychology; two new minors beginning Fall 2020

Finlandia’s Suomi College of Arts & Sciences is excited to introduce two new bachelor’s degrees and two new minors for fall 2020. The new degrees are a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Biology. The new minors students can explore are Military Science and Global Studies.

Bachelor of Science Options

The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) options expand upon FinnU’s current [...]