Finlandia University celebrates the opening of the Hirvonen House | News, Sports, Jobs
HANCOCK — Finlandia University celebrated the grand opening of Hirvonen Hall on Quincy Street on Saturday, July 23. The Hirvonen building houses the School of Health Sciences, which is Finlandia’s training program for nurses and assistant physiotherapists. Hirvinen Hall was built in 1923 as Hancock High School.
Kailee Laplander, the university’s assistant principal, said the opening was in conjunction with the Hancock Alumni All-School meeting.
“It’s because Hirvonen Hall is the former Hancock High School” The Lapland said, “which was part of the acquisition of Finlandia University and we have renamed it Hirvonen Hall.”
Lappilainen said that the hall is named in honor of donors Ray and Peg Hirvonen. Ray was a long-time member of the university’s board of trustees and an emirate.
The current Hirvonen Hall had served as Hancock High School until 1999, when the school district opened its new facility near Quincy Mine, just off US 41. From 1999 to 2009, the former Quincy Street High School became Hancock Middle School. For students in grades 6-8
Finlandia University later acquired the Quincy Street property in 2009. Through a strategic and creative exchange of resources with the Hancock Schools, known as Campus and Community: Together For Good, Finlandia renamed the building to recognize the Hirvosten family’s unique legacy of leadership and generosity.
Finlandia University’s website states that the renovation work on Hirvonen’s house began in 2019 as a result of a joint venture between Finlandia and Mike Lahte, who has served on the board of the university since 2011. Together, the couple is committed to preserving the building’s historic character and strengthening its appearance. community spaces and creating inspiring learning environments. Hirvonen’s hall now houses the programs of the Finlandia School of Health Sciences and it also serves as the location of the Finlandia Lions Esports Arena, in addition to several local companies, on the fourth floor.
“My wife, Sharon, and I are both graduates of Hancock High School,” Lahti is quoted on the website as saying, “I am glad that I could be involved in the renovation to make the building a functioning place of learning in the center of our city again.” Lahti said.
Ray Hirvonen served on several community and corporate boards, according to his obituary published in the Maquette Mining Journal on January 4, 2022, and he especially enjoyed serving as a director of Wis Pak, Inc. America Bank of Marquette, Finlandia University and Superior Extrusion, Inc.
Hirvonen retired in 1989, and he and his wife, Peg, spent the winters in another favorite place – Stuart, Florida, and enjoyed traveling the country in their RV. Together, they saw the need to help many great local organizations and founded the Ray and Peg Hirvonen Charitable Foundation, which continues to serve Michigan’s Central UP and Florida’s Treasure Coast, according to his obituary.
Additional funding for the renovation of the hall’s interior and state-of-the-art technology came from many other friends and alumni, whose support is recognized with designated classrooms, laboratories and offices.
Two foundations, the Towsley Foundation and the Portage Health Foundation, continue to provide generous annual major gift funding for technology and student scholarships.
“The new facilities have fundamentally changed the educational atmosphere. The open floor concept is so welcome, The coordinator of the BSN program, assistant professor of nursing and RN Irina Sergejeva, is quoted on the Finlandia website. “Each cohort has its own floor, where classrooms, laboratories and instructors’ offices are grouped. The design strengthens the interaction between instructor and student. In the spring of 2021, Sergejeva received the 2021 Rising Star Faculty Award of the Government of Finland.
The history of Finlandia University dates back to the 19th century, when the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America founded it in 1896 as Suomi College. The cornerstone of Old Main, Suomi College’s first building, was laid on May 30, 1898. Jacobsville sandstone, quarried at the Portage Entry of the Keweenaw waterway, was brought here by barge, cut and used to build Old Main. It was dedicated on January 21, 1900, and housed a dormitory, kitchen, laundry, classrooms, offices, library, chapel, and lounge. The fledgling college quickly outgrew this building, and in 1901 a frame structure with a gymnasium, assembly hall, and music center was erected on the adjacent lot. The main building was demolished when Nikander Hall, named after Finland’s founder JK Nikander, was completed in 1939.