This week Finlandia Fridays was visited be senior communication major Travis Cornwell. Originally from Minnesota, Cornwell stated “Finlandia kind of found me. I was in Vegas at a showcase for hockey, and they were one of the last schools to look at me, so I decided to give them a chance. I came up here and just absolutely liked it.” Outside of hockey, Cornwell mentioned that he enjoys studying communication, and his advisor Dr. Monique Bourdage has been critical to his success this past year, especially helping him with his internship.

Show notes available at finlandia.edu/fridays

Men’s hockey coach Joe Burcar stopped by Finlandia Fridays this week to talk about home games, new recruits and upgrades to Houghton County Arena. Burcar is excited to be back on home ice, mentioning that the team has not been at home since the second weekend in November. “Any time it’s game day, especially when it’s at home, it’s a great day,” stated Burcar.

Show notes available at finlandia.edu/fridays

New head football coach Rob Boss came to chat about the future of Finlandia University football this week on Finlandia Fridays. Boss stated “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here,” when asked about his Finlandia experience thus far. Boss joined Finlandia’s staff last fall as an assistant, and was promoted to head coach on November 6.

Full show notes available at finlandia.edu/fridays

This week Finlandia Fridays was visited Registrar Jason Sullivan to talk about an important feature that will help put Finlandia in a leadership role when it comes to transfer students. President Philip Johnson had this to say about the topic, “Finlandia values the passion, drive and maturity that transfer students offer our campus. In addition to our transfer tuition reset, we are launching a friendlier application process and streamlining our credit transfer process. Blended with up close and personal attention with our admissions and financial aid office, and our engaged faculty advisors, transfer students can be confident that they will finish their degree on time, while minimizing their expenses. We intend to lead as the friendliest transfer college in the country.”

Additional show notes available at finlandia.edu/fridays

Phyllis Fredendall, who is in charge of the fiber and fashion design program at Finlandia, stopped by this week to represent the International School of Art and Design on Finlandia Fridays. The degree, as stated by Fredendall, “encompasses surface design, which is dying and printing on textiles, weaving and off-loom structures, so the foundation of cloth, and garment design.” One of the perks of the program is the annual fashion show that is held along with the student juried exhibit in the spring. Fredendall stated that the students put their own spin on it, making it Hancock and not New York.

Show notes available at finlandia.edu/fridays

Assistant professor of Finnish and Nordic studies, Dr. Hilary Virtanen dropped by Finlandia Fridays this past week to talk about her busy semester. Dr. Virtanen kicked off the academic year by attending FinnFest USA, which was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. One of the highlights of the festival this year included an appearance by the Finnish president and his wife.  Dr. Virtanen gave a talk about Finnish-Americans traveling and the experience of going to and connecting to the home land when families have been away so long.

Show notes available at finlandia.edu/fridays

Senior nursing student and women’s hockey captain, Sierra Meiners visited Finlandia Fridays this week to discuss the women’s hockey team and her final year in the nursing program. Meiners was named the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association’s (NCHA) Offensive Player of the Week this past week.

Show notes available at finlandia.edu/fridays

Finlandia Fridays was visited by another familiar face this week with guest star Jim Kurtti, the director of the Finnish American Heritage Center. Kurtti stopped by to talk about the 100th anniversary celebration of Finnish Independence.

Show notes available at finlandia.edu/fridays

Finlandia Fridays was visited by an old friend this week, soon to be alumnus, Christopher Dennis to talk about the internship he took this past summer with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Chris first discussed the internship in an episode last spring. Dennis will be graduating at the end of this semester with a degree in criminal justice and sociology. The internship was an opportunity for him to experience the job of a financial examiner for three months in Chicago.

Show notes available at finlandia.edu/fridays

Tuukka Ylälahti stopped by Finlandia Fridays this week to talk about his revolutionary new app Mesensei. Ylälahti is the co-founder of Mesensei, a startup company working on “mentorship programs in support of learning, entrepreneurship and social inclusion.” The program and Ylälahti have visited various universities in America to see how the program would do in the American market. With close ties to Finland, Finlandia seemed like the obvious choice to lay some ground work.

Show notes available at finlandia.edu/fridays