HANCOCK, Mich. (WJMN) – Finlandia University has elected Tim Pinnow, senior vice president for Strategic Initiatives at Colorado Mesa University (CMU), as its 17th president following a unanimous vote by the University’s Board of Trustees. He will assume his presidency on July 1, 2022.
The Board’s selection of Finlandia’s President-elect follows a five-month nationwide search led by the University’s Presidential Search Committee, with professional support from the national executive search firm, Academic Search. The committee, chaired by board member Dr. Michael Nakkula, worked extensively with Academic Search, which has completed more than 2,000 executive searches, including more than 560 presidential, vice presidential, and dean searches over the past five years.
“The search committee was fortunate to find four exceptional candidates who were finalists for the position. Tim emerged as the search committee’s choice, as well as the campus’s, based on the strong connections he made with faculty, staff, alumni, and the larger community,” Nakkula said.
Pinnow also has deep roots in Finlandia, formerly Suomi College, having previously visited Suomi’s campus at the age of 16 and 17 for a summer leadership camp for Lutheran youth. It wasn’t long after that Pinnow began his career in higher education at St. Olaf College, a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota that, like Finlandia, shares an affiliation with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
“I am deeply humbled and appreciative of this opportunity to serve with the Board of Trustees, the faculty, staff, and students of Finlandia University. Together, we seek to position Finlandia for a prosperous and significant future as it honors its traditions and heritage while adjusting to the current changes in higher education. As we move forward together, we will seek to make Finlandia University’s next 125 years even greater than its first.“
Pinnow will succeed President Philip Johnson, who has served as Finlandia’s president since 2007.
