Since the 2020–21 academic year, Finlandia's admissions policy contains no requirements for academic credentials other than secondary school transcripts, such as SAT or ACT scores. A marker designating the college and its Old Main building as Michigan Historic Sites was erected by the Michigan Historical Commission in 1991. The inscriptions read: Old Main Suomi College was founded in 1896 by the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. The cornerstone of Old Main, the first building erected at Suomi College, 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 construct Old Main. Dedicated on January 21, 1900, it contained a dormitory, kitchen, laundry, classrooms, offices, library, chapel, and lounge. The burgeoning college quickly outgrew this building, and in 1901 a frame structure, housing a gym, meeting hall, and music center was erected on an adjacent lot. The frame building was demolished when Nikander Hall, named for Suomi’s founder, J. K. Nikander, was constructed in 1939. The hall was designed by the architectural firm of Saarinen and Swanson. Suomi College In the 1880s large numbers of Finns immigrated to Hancock to labor in the copper and lumber industries. One immigrant, mission pastor J. K. Nikander of the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, headquartered in Hancock, wanted to ensure seminary training in America. He had observed that Swedish and Finnish immigrants along the Delaware River did not train new ministers, and he feared a loss of Finnish identity. In 1896 Nikander founded Suomi College. The college’s role was to preserve Finnish culture, train Lutheran ministers and teach English. During the 1920s Suomi became a liberal arts college. In 1958 the seminary separated from the college. Four years later the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church of America merged with other mainstream Lutheran churches. On October 6, 2021, the university's Board of Trustees formally accepted a letter from its and current president, Rev. Dr. Philip R. Johnson, informing them of his intention to retire at the end of the 2021–22 academic term. On May 4, 2022, Finlandia announced Timothy Pinnow would become the next President effective July 1, 2022. Campus Finlandia University is located in Hancock, Michigan. The town is located on the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The Keweenaw Peninsula stretches north into Lake Superior. Finnish-American Heritage Center Also part of Finlandia University, and serving both