Kathleen Lakanen, Vice President for Advancement inlandia University cannot pause for even a moment in • Cash, check or charge card . A quick and easy gift, cash fulfilling its mission to teach, inspire learning and serve provides an immediate impact on Finlandia University. its community. The generosity of individual donors F • Matching Gifts . In addition to the Thrivent Financial provides the added degree of excellence that makes a great institution extraordinary. for Lutherans matching gift program, many employers will match employee charitable donations with gifts of “As Finlandia grows in size and reputation, the call for private their own. gifts has never been greater,” states Kathleen Lakanen, Finlandia University vice president for advancement. “Every • Securities . The donation of stocks, bonds, treasuries gift contributes to a meaningful educational experience and and mutual funds. helps students manage the costs of higher education.” • Bequests . A gift to Finlandia through a will does not “Perhaps one of Finlandia’s greatest challenges is our need to reduce current income, yet provides future support for maintain the momentum we have established as a growing the university. university,” notes Lakanen. “The need is great for new construction and improvements to existing facilities, and for • Life Insurance . By naming the university a beneficiary maintaining a strong Annual Fund to support scholarships and to a paid-up life insurance policy, a large gift can be assure the continued excellence of faculty and instruction.” made with little cost to the donor. There are many ways to support the mission and growth of • Retirement Plan Assets . Naming the university as the Finlandia University. Donors may choose to make an outright beneficiary of an IRA, 401K, Keogh or other retirement gift, a deferred gift or pledge a contribution over a period of plan can result in estate tax reductions. time. If desired, a gift may be designated for a particular academic program, scholarships, library materials, athletics, • Personal Property . Assets that will enhance the technology or other areas. A gift may also be designated for educational mission of Finlandia University make a plant and facility needs, especially important as programs are lasting impression. moved to Portage Campus, or used to increase or establish an endowed fund. Any gift may be given in honor of or in • Real Estate . Gifts of real estate may reduce or eliminate memory of the donor or another. capital gains tax. Following are various ways to support Finlandia. As a not-for- • Planned Giving . Planned giving options include profit institution, gifts are tax deductible up to the limits charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts and prescribed by law. charitable lead trusts. Note: The information above is to inform donors of the numerous ways in which they can support Finlandia University. It is not intended to serve as legal or tax advice. The university encourages consultation with a tax or legal professional. y t i s r e Winter 2006 Volume 59, No. 4 v i International School of Business Welcomes New Dean n 3 Dr. Joseph Monahan, International Banking Executive U a Annual Fund i Student scholarships and instruction costs 5 d Interactive Classrooms n Integrating technology in university classrooms a 6 l n Concepts for Building and Beautification i 7 Administration Building, Atrium Building and Campus Beautification F Student Life 11 Finlandia Hall Dormitory and Maki Library College of Professional Studies 12 Five growing programs Community Recreation Center 16 Student and community recreation, physical fitness and fun Moving Beyond the Traditional Laboratory 17 Nikander Hall Science Laboratories the Bridge published quarterly by Students and Entrepreneurs Work Side-by-Side Finlandia University 18 ISAD and CGDB Address correspondence to: the Bridge A National Historical Archive and Museum Finlandia University An essential Finnish American resource 601 Quincy Street 19 Hancock, MI 49930 New Faculty and Staff Welcomed [email protected] 1-800-682-7604 20 Many new faces on campus Karen S. Johnson, 2 President’s Letter 14 Sports News Executive Director of Communications 4 Gallery Schedule 21 Alumni News Brad Beaudette, 8 Campus News 24 University Calendar Director of Publications On the cover: (left to right) Japanese general ed student Fumiya Kobashi and Contents © Finnish business exchange students Paivi Peltonen and Johanna Mikkola Finlandia University, 2006 (Photo by human services senior Joshua Hendrickson) All rights reserved the Bridge Winter 2006 1 Sixteen years ago when I became president, we began a continuing strategic planning effort here at FRO MTHE Finlandia involving on- and off-campus stakeholders and constituencies. While we continually update PRESIDENT our plan, the framework for our planning has remained the same: the four ‘Ps’ of marketing – product (curricular and co-curricular programs, in our case), promotion , price and place – to which we added a fifth ‘P,’ people . Beginning with a comprehensive SWOT analysis to identify internal and external strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, we used this framework to guide our efforts in assigning priority to each of the ‘Ps.’ We recognized that as a costly, two-year, open admission institution (then known in our service area as the “institution of last resort”) we needed to change our product by introducing new standards and programs and then promote these changes to prospective students and donors. With limited financial resources, we focused our efforts on program (product) change and transformed ourselves into a four-year institution with academic and admissions standards. As part of our effort to communicate (promotion) these changes to prospective students, we changed our name to Finlandia University. With the conversion of our nursing program from an associate to a baccalaureate degree program three years ago, we were able to shift our planning focus from programs and promotion to people . When I arrived at Suomi College nineteen years ago, there were two faculty members with terminal DR. ROBERT UBBELOHDE degrees, counting me. Now, forty percent of our faculty members have terminal degrees. We now ask President that all new faculty either have or agree to complete a terminal degree. Further, a number of faculty hired prior to this focus on terminal degrees are currently completing terminal degree programs. In focusing on people, we have also increased salaries to a target level based on the salaries at other Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)-related institutions. Similarly, we have positioned Finlandia with regard to price (tuition and fees) within our peer group of ELCA colleges and universities. Ongoing program improvements and updates to our strategic plan are tied to measurement of student “Our framework for learning through a campus-wide learning assessment program, as well as the monitoring of the strategic planning academic performance of entering and enrolled students, the placement of graduates, and the collection of other data. We were pleased, for example, by a story in the Detroit Free Press this past is the four ‘Ps’ of spring that reported that Finlandia has the highest graduation rate of new, entering freshmen among marketing – product, all private institutions in the State of Michigan. promotion, price and Over the past few years we have turned our strategic planning attention to our facilities (place) needs. In part, this effort is due to our need to make buildings handicap accessible. It is also to provide place – to which technology-based instructional classrooms, address out-of-date facilities and generally make the we’ve added a fifth campus both more functional and attractive. These improvements will thereby improve our ability to recruit students in a very recruitment-competitive environment. ‘P’, people.” Further, the state of our facilities is critical to our efforts to move to the next level of excellence by obtaining professional accreditation for our nursing, elementary education, art and design, business and human services baccalaureate programs. While Finlandia University is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, only our physical therapy assistant program has accreditation from its national professional association. Up-to-date and adequate facilities are critical to obtaining professional accreditation, thereby insuring our level of educational excellence. This issue of the Bridge focuses on our plant and facility needs and the reasons we are focusing our efforts on place. Additionally, our enrollment reached a nineteen-year high this fall and this growth necessitates building our endowment to accommodate the increased need for scholarship assistance and funding additional faculty positions. Robert Ubbelohde, President 2 Finlandia University INTERNATIONAL SWCEHLOCOOMLES ONF EBW UDSIENAN ESS r. Joseph Monahan, an international banking executive with more than Dr. Monahan was a faculty member and dean at the School of Business 25 years experience in the financial services industry, has been and Public Service at SUNY Canton where he developed and instituted Dappointed dean of the Finlandia University International School of a bachelor’s degree in financial services. Prior to his work at SUNY Business effective August 15, 2006. He replaces Robert Butler who is retiring as Canton, he was chairperson of the Department of Finance at Dowling dean but will remain a member of the faculty. College,