Welcome to Finlandia University Reunion 2008!

Reunion 2008: June 26-29

The spark for Reunion 2008 originated with Duane Westfield, one of three Class of 1958 Suomi College Theological Seminary graduates. “I made a lot of important decisions about my life and my career while at Suomi,” Westfield says. “There is a deep, special place in my heart for the college and seminary.”

“I had fantastic experiences and access to incredible minds and spirits at Suomi,” Westfield notes. “My time in the U. P. was a turning point in my life. It was an academic and spiritual awakening and the site of a major shift in my thinking as I began to see the connections between religious faith and academic studies like math and science.”

Westfield feels that the time is right to acknowledge the accomplishments of college and seminary graduates, and reflect on the lives of former Suomi faculty and staff whose leadership and dedication influenced so many lives. He hopes to see a great turnout at the reunion.
“This grand reunion is a perfect time to remember college history and traditions, and view the growth and development of today’s Finlandia University,” Westfield says. “I’m also looking forward to the pasties!”

For years in her Christmas letters, Class of ’51 grad Norma Mickelsen Nominelli has been encouraging classmates of ’49 to ’52 to come back to their old Suomi ‘haunts. She says, “Now is the perfect time, with Duane Westfield leading the way and encouraging seminarians and the like to join us in June. I am expecting the best reunion ever!!”

“Many of us have not seen Suomi/Finlandia fellow alumni since we graduated, and others rarely,” adds Lois Isaac Seaton, ’50. “If you're like me, you’re not much of a correspondent, but often look back on that special place and the special people you met there. While things and people change, the friendships we made in Hancock are still in our hearts, and deserve to be renewed. I’m looking forward to seeing you and laughing and reminiscing about the good old days.”

Reunion 2008 is an all-class Suomi College and Finlandia University reunion focusing on the class of 1958, with a special recognition of the seminary graduates. The itinerary includes a golf tournament, alumni hockey and basketball games, a cruise of the Portage Canal, social mixers, and many other opportunities to become reacquainted with old friends! Alumni are invited and encouraged to organize their own get-togethers by class, major, or student club.

A Distinguished Alumni Service Award, Young Alumni Award, and Spirit of Finlandia Award will be presented at Reunion 2008. Criteria for the awards and nomination instructions appeared in the winter 2007 edition of the Bridge, and are also on page two of the Reunion 2008 registration form which can be downloaded at www.finlandia.edu. Please submit nominations by June 5, 2008.

To register, nominate someone for an award, organize a reunion gathering, or volunteer to help, please contact Christina Mayworm, director of alumni relations, at 906-487-7205 or christina.mayworm@finlandia.edu.