MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – Finlandia University announced that it would be ending their operations Thursday afternoon.
In the announcement, it was also announced that a Teach-Out agreement has been reached with Michigan Technological University, Adrian College, Bay College, and Wartburg College. They currently are working on reaching a Teach-Out agreement with Northern Michigan University as well.
Northern Michigan University President Brock Tessman released the following statement:
NMU Faculty and Staff,
It was hard to hear this afternoon’s news about Finlandia University (FinnU) in Hancock making the decision to close. As you can imagine this was not an easy decision for the University to come to, and I’m sure you join me when I say Northern community members will do all that we can to support the 400 or so FinnU students and 170 faculty and staff.
Finlandia has asked Northern and other institutions to partner in its teach-out endeavors and we have readily agreed to do so. Northern and Finlandia are in the process of signing a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for NMU to do the following regarding the teach-out partnership:
- Extend guaranteed admission to qualified Finlandia students;
- Have NMU admissions counselors work directly with FinnU students, providing them personalized attention to evaluate and support their individual needs regarding academic program planning and course registration. A webpage for FinnU students to access information on how to receive this guidance has been created;
- Have colleges and academic departments address students’ specific needs regarding NMU graduation requirements for FinnU students close to degree completion;
- Work with the Higher Learning Commission to navigate the accreditation aspects of the teach-out partnership.
Finlandia offers several programs that overlap with NMU programs, including nursing, criminal justice, psychology, and business. We will work with students in FinnU programs not offered at Northern, including physical therapy assistant, sports management and healthcare management, to review NMU alternatives that may be a good fit.
Students who participate in the teach-out with Northern will ultimately earn an NMU degree. We’ll work with flexibility to ensure both the integrity of an NMU degree and the time invested in studies.
I’ll thank everyone in advance for welcoming Finlandia students into the NMU community. If you have colleagues at Finlandia, I encourage you to reach out to them to see in what other ways NMU might be able to help with this tremendously difficult upcoming transition.
Brock Tessman, NMU President
Michigan Technological University released the following statement:
For more than 120 years, Finlandia University has made a positive impact on the communities of the Copper Country and in the lives of its students, faculty, and staff. Michigan Technological University is saddened to see Finlandia close its doors and will work with the administration to make sure Finlandia students have opportunities to continue their education available to them.
As an initial step, we have signed a memorandum of understanding with Finlandia to identify students who have earned at least 60 credits at Finlandia and whose academic programs align with programs available at Tech. Those students will be eligible to finish their studies at Michigan Tech. Students with fewer than 60 credits will be eligible to apply to Michigan Tech as transfer students.
