This installment of Finlandia Fridays features a local student by the name of Samantha Richards who transferred into Finlandia after starting her collegiate career at a larger institution. Richards, a Dollar Bay alum, was asked to be apart of this weeks episode because of one of her latest Instagram posts. "This post was touching to some of the staff at Finlandia" said Michael H. Babcock, host of Finlandia Fridays.

This week on Finlandia Fridays we feature Finlandia’s men’s ice hockey coach Joe Burcar as he previews the future of the program and the ongoing season. The Houghton County Arena is a very familiar place for Burcar, winning the Harris Cup in 2007 and finishing his first stint with the team at a 104-96-11 record. Burcar remains the all-time winningest coach in program history and plans to continue his legacy.

Burcar says his choice to move back and coach was a no-brainer. He enjoys the atmosphere and the strong hockey culture associated with the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. While the hockey program at Finlandia has struggled as of late, Burcar fully intends to bring it back to the glory and prestige of that of the 2007 Harris Cup winning team.

The lions take on Concordia University this weekend looking to pick up their first win of the season at home. Game times are set for 7:15 PM on Friday (11/11/16) and 4:00 PM on Saturday (11/12/16). We hope to see you there!

On this installment of Finlandia Fridays special guest Dr. Hilary Virtanen discusses the Paloheimo Fellows Program with host Michael H. Babcock. This program offers a unique and special experience that allows four lucky Finlandia students (of any major) the opportunity to study abroad in Tampere, Finland. This program runs for three weeks every May and is guided by Finnish expert Dr. Virtanen. In Finland students will gain knowledge on social scientific techniques to observe and analyze the deep rooted Finnish culture along with experience in writing, media documentation and intercultural communication. 1c7a7910

Finlandia and Dr. Virtanen alike are grateful for this opportunity to take students abroad to such a wonderful area. This is all made possible largely to the generous support of the Paloheimo Foundation, which covers almost all expenses during the trip. Although this trip is open to any major, Finlandia requires students be in either junior or senior standing by January, and have an overall GPA of above 3.0. Applications are due by November 9, and this course is allotted at three credit hours.

For more information about the program or to read the blog dedicated to the trip head over to finlandia.edu/paloheimo.

This week on Finlandia Fridays Michael H. Babcock discusses the PTA program offered at Finlandia University with soon to be graduate Devin Smith. In this installment of Finlandia Fridays Smith outlines his personal experiences here at Finlandia University and on his time in the PTA (Physical Theory Assistant) program. Smith touches on topics including his first experiences at Finlandia, his personal involvement in the PTA program and the PTA Club.

Smith's collegiate path has been everything but traditional; coming in as a 21 year old freshman after playing junior hockey in Montana and enlisting in a program that allows him to go to different clinics experiencing hands on training is something that most students cannot say they have done. The ability for students to visit different facilities and get real world training is something that Finlandia is very proud of.

All topics discussed in this week's episode can be found on finlandia.edu/pta along with other opportunities and scholarships.

Soren Schmidt covering the latest events surrounding Campus Ministry with host Michael H. Babcock.

This week on Finlandia Fridays we speak with Director of Admissions Travis Hanson about the upcoming preview day. In this episode Hanson outlines what exactly Preview Day is, and what it means for recruitment within the university. Preview Day is aimed at incoming students by showing them around campus, including tours of the dorms, classrooms and extracurricular spaces while providing them with a fun and memorable experience.

Those taking place in Preview Day can look forward to an exhilarating football game complete with tailgating and hot dogs, as well as chances to meet with faculty from all four schools at the university. The evening will culminate with the annual blue versus white hockey game at the Houghton County Arena.

We hope to see you there!

Next week on Finlandia Fridays we will have a very special guest often seen around campus, Soren Schmidt. Soren and host Michael H. Babcock will be discussing topics centered around the campus ministry and upcoming ministry events.

See you next Friday!

Michael Babcock and Walker Enstad preview the inaugural episode of Finlandia Fridays.