Schedule of Events for Alumni & Friends

Alumni & Friends Welcome Center
June 19 – 22
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Alumni & Friends Welcome Center is located in the Hoover Center at 601 Quincy Street in Hancock, adjacent to Old Main. Check in with us upon arrival to pick your registration packets. While you’re there you can use the message board to see who else has checked in on campus. There will plenty of coffee, lemonade, and nisu to compliment the friendly conversation with long-lost friends.

Pasty Picnic in the Beer Tent
June 19
11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Join us for a hot pasty and a cold drink at the first-ever Pasty Picnic in the Beer Tent! The tent will be located on the front lawn of Old Main. The Finlandia Alumni Board (FAB) is hosting this fundraiser. Proceeds will go to the FAB Special Projects Fund.

Alumni & Friends Reception
Special Tribute to Professor Hill and Choir Performance
June 22
4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Professor Art Hill is a name that rings true with generations of Suomi College alumni. He shared his talents and passion for music with hundreds of our alumni and community members. We are planning a special tribute for the late Professor Hill at the Alumni & Friends Reception on Saturday night.

We invite you to reconnect with fellow alumni and to meet some of Professor Hill’s family members during the social hour from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The social hour will be followed by a program led by Finlandia University president, Dr. Philip Johnson. As part of the evening’s program, the Suomi College Alumni & Friends Choir will give a special performance in honor of Professor Hill. The reception will be held in the theater of the Finnish American Heritage Center located at 435 Quincy St. in Hancock. The ticket includes non-alcoholic beverages and substantial appetizers. A cash bar will be available.  Please note: participation in this choir performance requires purchasing a ticket for this event. 

Special worship service of the Suomi Conference
June 23
10:00 a.m.

Suomi College Alumni & Friends Choir

Practice Schedule: 
June 19 to 22
All great choirs have three things in common: practice, practice, and practice! The choir will have ample time to practice even before they arrive on campus. The music selections can be downloaded below. Please contact cheryl.ries@finlandia.edu to have the music mailed to you.

Music Selections:
There is a Balm in Gilead (arr. Benjamin Harlan)
With a Voice of Singing (Martin Shaw)
The Lord Bless You and Keep You (Peter C. Lutkin)
Cast Thy Burden upon the Lord (F. Mendelssohn, from “Elijah”, Op. 70 , Part I. No.15)
I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light (Kathleen Thomerson)

The Suomi College Alumni & Friends Choir will be led by Leslie Dukes, DMA, Instructor of Music, Suomi College of Arts and Sciences. All practices will be held in the Chapel of St. Matthew on Finlandia’s main campus.

Wednesday, June 19
8:30 a.m., Coffee & Conversation
9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Choir Rehearsal

Thursday, June 20
8:30 a.m., Coffee & Conversation
9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Choir Rehearsal

Friday, June 21
8:30 a.m., Coffee & Conversation
9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Choir Rehearsal

Saturday, June 22
3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Warm-up and group photo
5:00 p.m., Choir Performance during the Alumni Reception

Sunday, June 23
All choir participants are invited to sing with the choir at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
in Hancock for a special worship service of the Suomi Conference
Service beginning at 10:00 a.m.