HANCOCK — A nonprofit foundation centered on the Finnish-American community is looking to preserve the Finnish American Heritage Center and other cultural resources at Finlandia University.

In a joint announcement with Finlandia, the Pasadena, California-based Finlandia Foundation announced Monday it has commissioned a task force aimed at preserving not only the center, but its archives, the folk school, art gallery, North Wind Books store and the Finnish American Reporter, a monthly publication sent to Finnish Americans nationwide.

The Finlandia Foundation was founded in 1953 to connect, inspire and strengthen the Finnish-American community in the United States, it said in the release. The foundation’s board met last week following the university’s announcement Thursday that it will be closing at the end of the spring semester.

“It is obviously of utmost importance for us as a cultural organization,” said Anne-Mari Paster, president of the Finlandia Foundation’s board.

“Our entire existence is about preserving Finnish-American culture and heritage. We have a small task force, we report to our board, and we are putting our best foot forward in trying to secure and preserve what we can on the Finlandia University campus.”

Finlandia was established as Suomi College in 1896, continuing under that name until becoming Finlandia in 2000. It is the last active institution of higher learning in North America founded by Finns.

“Knowing that the Finnish American Heritage Center and Archives, the Art Gallery, North Wind Books, the Folk School and the Finnish American Reporter have a chance to continue the legacy of Finlandia University and Suomi College gives us all a significant ray of light in the midst of the darkness of losing our beloved University,” Finlandia University President Timothy Pinnow said in Monday’s announcement. “We cannot express our gratitude to Finlandia Foundation National enough for their generous support.”

Since its grand opening in 1990, Finlandia University’s Finnish American Heritage Center has become a community focal point and a national center, offering a folk school, art exhibits, lectures, plays, musical programs and community events each year. The Archive at Finlandia’s Finnish American Heritage Center is home to the most extensive collection of Finnish North American materials in the world, according to Finlandia’s press release.

“If this is piecemealed all around, a little bit here and a little bit there, the totality and the grandness of the project falls apart,” Pastor said. “… This is not only what has been gathered in Hancock. There’s a lot of materials from different areas in the U.S. There are pieces from Florida, Massachusetts, New York, you name it. There’s a lot of material, and it all belongs together.”

The first step will be securing the documents and artifacts in the building, then figuring out how to continue operations, Pastor said.

The task force has already begun meeting, and will continue holding meetings this week as it begins assembling a plan, Pastor said. That will include looking for other partners.

The process is a complicated one, with lots of legalities involved, Pastor said. But it’s one that fits with the core mission of the foundation.

“From the Finlandia Foundation’s point of view, this is why we are here,” she said.

We are a good partner in this, and this is how we save this part of our culture and history for future generations. This is not something we take lightly, and this should be preserved for the future.”