Reception Celebrating Dr. Keijo Virtanen

The Alumni Association of Lakehead University, the Department of History, and the Canadian Suomi Foundation invites the community to a reception celebrating esteemed professor Dr. Keijo Virtanen (bio below).

Refreshments will be served.

For more information, contact Meghan Hanbury, Alumni and Community Relations Associate, at mhanbury@lakeheadu.ca or 807-343-8910

BIOGRAPHY - Dr. Keijo Virtanen
 
Keijo Virtanen’s research work began at the University of Turku, Finland. He published his doctoral dissertation in 1979 on the return of Finnish migrants from overseas countries, particularly the United States and Canada.
 
In addition to migration and ethnicity, his publications focus on the influence of North-American culture in Finland, the methodological questions of historical research as well as university and science policy.
 
He held a number of positions in the University of Turku and the Academy of Finland. He was appointed the Professor of Cultural History in 1990, having worked as an acting Professor since 1983. He was a research assistant at the University of Michigan in 1974-75 and Fulbright researcher in 1988-89. In the 1970s he made several long trips to Canada and the United States to microfilm archival material on Finnish immigrants.

Keijo became the longest-serving Rector/President of the University of Turku (1997-2012).
 
He has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the Klaipeda University (Lithuania) and the University of Tartu (Estonia). He is the Honorary Consul of Estonia in Southwest Finland.
 
After his retirement in 2012, Keijo continues with his research on migration.
 
The John Morton Center for North American Studies was established at the University of Turku in 2014 as led by him. He is the Chair of the Council of the Institute of Migration. Keijo and his wife Orvokki have two children, Seppo and Marjaana, and six grandchildren. Seppo has a doctorate in Information Technology and Marjaana in Musicology.
 
Keijo Virtanen will receive an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters on Saturday afternoon.