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Correction: The article originally stated that Phyllis Fredendall was a student at Finlandia. She is not an alumna. She began as Assistant Director of the Finnish-American Heritage Center and gallery director before becoming an adjunct professor in the early 90’s.
The area’s two universities are planning very different graduation events, which are set to play out over the next two days. Finlandia is going with a traditional ceremony. The senior class will be together in the Hirvonen Auditorium, beginning at 6 PM Thursday. Family and friends can watch a livestream of the festivities online here. There will also be an archived version made available for viewing in the future.
Finlandia’s student speaker is Ramona Kuhn, a ceramics major from St. Cloud, Minnesota, who has maintained a 4.0 GPA. The commencement address will be given by Phyllis Fredendall, a former gallery director turned professor at the university. She has been affiliated with Finlandia for decades.
Michigan Tech is planning a celebration, but school officials are quick to stress it is not a formal ceremony. Around 600 seniors from the Class of 2021 and 2020 are expected to complete a walk through campus. A website has been set up to provide more information. A link is here.
