BULLETIN 1.10.2024
The Finland Society named the Saving Finland in America campaign as the Finnish Expatriate of the Year 2024. The campaign has worked to ensure the preservation of valuable Finnish American cultural heritage for future generations. With this recognition, the Finland Society wants to honor the Year of Sivistys 2024, which has been designated by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture.
Saving Finland in America campaign was kickstarted in March 2023, when the Finlandia University announced the news about the closing of its activities. The Finlandia University was a private university in Hancock, Michigan, founded by Finnish migrants in 1896 as Suomi College. The migrants wished that the university would preserve the Finnish language and collect the history of Finnish people in North America.
The Finnish American organization Finlandia Foundation National quickly launched the Saving Finland in America campaign to save the precious cultural heritage of the Finlandia University. Within just over a year, over 900 individual donors from all over Finnish America donated 5,5 million dollars to the campaign.
-The Saving Finland in America campaign is an example of courage, strong common will and sisu. Preserving the archives of the Finnish American Heritage Center is important so that future generations can find the answers from the past. Through digitization this unique cultural heritage is made accessible also to a wider audience, comments Pekka Sauri, the chairman of Finland Society’s board.
Since the closing of Finlandia University, Finlandia Foundation National took over as the caretaker of the Finnish American Heritage Center and maintains its extensive archives as well as the Finnish American Reporter, the Finnish American Folk School, the Finlandia Gallery, the Price of Freedom Museum and the North Wind Books bookstore. The purpose of these operations is to advance and preserve Finnish American cultural heritage in America.
-The Saving Finland in America campaign crosses over generations and social boundaries. It is an example of communal activity, which brings Sivistys to the present and into everyday life in a multilocal way, adds Pekka Sauri.
The Finnish Expatriate of the Year 2024 award will be presented in a ceremony organized later in the fall.
For more information: Executive Director Tina Strandberg tina.strandberg@suomi-seura.fi tel. +358 (0)44 7129 230.
The Finland Society (founded 1927) is an expert organization on expatriatism. We offer guidance to Finnish people living abroad and promote the interests of Finnish expatriates in Finland.
The Finland Society reinforces connections of Finnish expatriates to Finland and brings forth expatriatism and expatriate issues in Finnish societal discussions and decision-making. The Finland Society furthers interaction between expatriates and the Finnish society, fosters cultural connections and strengthens the Finnish brand abroad.
Finnish Expatriates of the Year since 1993, as selected by the Finland Society:
1993 Robert Selvala, founder of the Finnish-American event FinnFest USA
1994 Mirja Bolgár, Finnish-French translator and author
1995 Arvi Tervalampi, Finnish activist in Sweden
1996 Karita Mattila, opera singer
1997 Jari Litmanen, soccer player
1998 Vieno Williams, Finnish-American representative of the great migration wave
1999 Mika Häkkinen, Formula 1 driver
2000 Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux user system
2001 Matti Salminen, opera singer
2002 Jacob Söderman, Parliamentary Ombudsman of Finland
2003 Kaija Saariaho, composer
2004 Erkki Toivanen, journalist
2005 Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor and composer
2006 Saku Koivu, ice hockey player
2007 Richard Impola, Professor Emeritus, Finnish-American translator
2008 Bengt Holmström, Professor of Economics
2009 Leena Pasanen, missionary doctor
2010 Helena Petäistö, journalist and author
2011 Olli Rehn, European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs
2012 Outi Hovatta, stem cell researcher
2013 Osmo Vänskä, conductor
2014 Bonita Pietila, TV producer
2015 Mark Levengood, journalist and author
2016 Suvi Kauranen, entrepreneur
2017 Suomi Schools around the world
2018 Mika Keränen, author
2019 Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
2020 Eeva Lennon, journalist
2021 Joy Wolfram, assistant professor, nanoscientist
2022 Susanna Pettersson, director general of Sweden’s Nationalmuseum, and Maria Sid, artistic director of Stockholm’s Kulturhuset City Theatre
2023 Finnish Expatriate Choir, choir leaders Maria Männistö and Eva-Christina Pietarinen