Former International Business Leader Named Northland College President

A former international business leader has been named the next president of Northland College in Ashland.

Wakefield native Marvin J. Suomi will become the college’s 14^th president on July 1.

Suomi oversaw the operations of real estate and construction company Kajima International Inc. for nearly four decades. He also was a teaching fellow for the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation in Princeton, N.J.

Suomi said his priorities as president will include raising the visibility of Northland College.

“I want the major foundations to know about it. I want us to be applying for support because, I think for Northland, unless we have significant foundation support we are going to continue to struggle,” said Suomi.

Northland announced staff layoffs and pay cuts for employees last spring to deal with a $3.5 million budget shortfall. Suomi said he’s committed to growing recruitment and retention efforts at the college.

“With some urgency, I want to make sure that our retention program and retaining students and making sure that students are encouraged to finish out their four years at Northland is very, very important to me … if not more important than the recruitment,” he said.

Suomi said higher education has been challenged by declining enrollment since the Great Recession. But, he hopes Northland can capitalize on its niche as an environmental liberal arts college.

“I’m here to say that Northland’s going to make it,” he said. “It has the niche and faculty support and certainly the trustee support. I’m very encouraged otherwise I wouldn’t take this job.”

Suomi will replace current Northland College President Mike Miller, who last fall announced his retirement at the end of this academic year. Northland has around 650 students.