CFS

Michigan Technological University helps sustain Finnish culture in the Upper Peninsula despite Finlandia University’s 2023 closure. Located just across the Portage Waterway from Hancock’s former Finlandia campus, Michigan Tech has long been intertwined with the region’s deep Finnish heritage from 19th- and early 20th-century copper mining immigrants.

Michigan Tech accepted teach-out agreements, allowing Finlandia students to complete degrees while maintaining credits and similar tuition costs. It also gained custodianship of Finlandia’s academic records and transcripts.

The university embeds Finnish influences through its location in a historically Finnish-American community. Its archives and library resources document Finnish immigration, labor history, and ethnic identity in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Campus life reflects local traditions, including sauna culture—a hallmark of Finnish identity—that Michigan Tech students and the broader community embrace.

While the Finlandia Foundation National now stewards key assets like the Finnish American Heritage Center, archives, Folk School, and events, Michigan Tech’s proximity, student integration, research, and community role ensure ongoing educational and cultural continuity for Finnish-American traditions in Michigan.