What Matters Is the Connection

For retired sports science professor Mike Loovis, the path to Fulbright didn’t begin in an office or a research lab, but on a squash court at Cleveland State University. That’s where a faculty colleague, also a Fulbright alumnus, regularly urged him to consider applying.

“Every time we’d play, he’d look at me and say, ‘Loovis, when are you going to do a Fulbright?’” Mike recalls with a laugh. “And I’d always tell him, ‘John, I want to – but the timing’s not right.’”

Eventually, the right timing came along. With encouragement from a Finnish colleague and support from both institutions, Mike submitted a Fulbright proposal to teach and conduct research at the University of Jyväskylä. It was awarded in 2011, just two years before he was due to retire.

“I went to Finland, had a marvelous time, met incredible people, and have since hosted many friends I made there when they came to the U.S. It’s just been a great experience,” he says.

Living and Learning in Jyväskylä

As a lifelong sports science educator, Mike immersed himself in Finland’s unique cultural and sporting life. “I went to hockey games, watched Finnish baseball, and even bandy, which is similar to ice hockey and one of Finland’s oldest team sports. I got a WhatsApp from a friend recently with a photo from a bandy game, and I guessed right that Jyväskylä had won the national championship – for the first time in history! It’s great to be able to relate to those things,” he laughs.

“I had never been to Finland before. I had a colleague there, so I wasn’t going in completely blind, and I did the reading and tried to understand the culture – how people might respond to someone from the U.S.,” he explains. “Finns are reserved, so you can’t go in being too boisterous. I’ve always believed you should be humble and adapt when traveling. That’s worked for me.”

“The Fulbright Finland Foundation team was extraordinary,” he says. “It was very simple – in the best meaning of the term – to acclimate. Not just physically, but socially and culturally. The folks at the Fulbright Finland Foundation just do a marvelous job… I don’t know that I’ve ever dealt with anybody where quality control is thought of as much as it is there.”

“The university was also excellent – everything from preparation to support once I arrived. Everyone was very welcoming,” Mike adds.

Though it came later in his professional career, Mike says his six-month Fulbright experience in Finland proved to be a life-changing adventure, bringing with it new experiences, discoveries, and most of all, friendships.

During his time in Finland, Mike taught students from across Europe, took up guitar lessons for the first time, and even fulfilled a long-standing dream of visiting the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, inspired by his love of impressionist art. He fondly recalls his daily walks around his host city, having learned to navigate by foot and public transportation, without missing his car at all. “I was walking five to seven miles a day – probably in the best shape of my life,” he says. “I loved it. The area was very walkable. I didn’t have a car, and my apartment was close to the university.”

A Fulbright Experience that Keeps on Giving

Mike’s Fulbright experience has since sparked other surprising connections with Finland. Shortly after returning to Ohio, once again on the squash court, a friend mentioned the Finnish Heritage Museum in the nearby town of Fairport Harbor. Mike and his wife Cindy made the trip, and that casual visit turned into something much more lasting. “I’ve given four or five presentations there and developed a nice relationship with the group. It’s a small enclave dating back to the early 1900s, with many Finnish descendants.” 

Mike has returned to Finland several times since his Fulbright, traveling to places like Saariselkä and Pori to reconnect with friends and participate in conferences. One particularly memorable trip involved working hands-on with people with disabilities, teaching adaptive kayaking and other recreational activities as part of a workshop. “You don’t forget experiences like that,” he says. 

After a total of 45 years at Cleveland State University, having come back out of retirement to chair his old department from 2016-22, Mike remains as active and as enthusiastic as ever. “I’m still doing research and presentations, so even though I’m officially retired, I’m unofficially not,” he laughs. 

The goal is to encourage cross-cultural and educational exchanges. I thought, why not do it? I’m using my IRA’s required minimum distributions as charitable contributions to fund it. I don’t
need it, and I’d rather use it to help others.

In addition to his academic activities, he serves on the Friends of Fulbright Finland Alumni Council, a network of alumni who support continued U.S.-Finland academic exchange, and has found yet another way of giving back, by creating a new Fulbright Finland grant fund to support future exchanges between Finland and Cleveland. “When I was there, I taught a couple of classes, not just with Finnish students but with students from all over Europe. When I got back, I started thinking: what can we do for the students at my university? What about Finnish students coming to the U.S.?” 

“It expanded to the idea of bringing researchers or faculty over to connect with our departments. The goal is to encourage cross-cultural and educational exchanges – students, grad students, faculty, it doesn’t matter. What matters is the connection.” 

Mike explains that with support from the Fulbright team in Helsinki, he was able to make his idea into a reality. “I thought, why not do it? I’m using my IRA’s required minimum distributions as charitable contributions to fund it. I don’t need it, and I’d rather use it to help others.” 

The result is the Fulbright Finland Foundation E. Michael Loovis Scholastic Award – providing additional funding to one or more Fulbright Finland Foundation grantees whose host institution is Cleveland State University. In addition, it fully funds research travel grants to Cleveland State University.

The grant is in its early stages, Mike explains, and he’s hopeful the word will spread. “I’ve been meeting with folks on campus to spread the word,” he says, noting that he hopes this interview may inspire someone to apply. “Sometimes it’s the little things that spur action. With Terhi and her team, I have total confidence,” he smiles. 

Connections, Interaction, and Understanding 

Reflecting on the broader purpose of Fulbright, Mike sees its importance only growing over time. “I always go back to how the world is getting smaller. Programs like Fulbright have at their heart the idea that people need to be able to manage the world as it’s getting smaller and not run away from the opportunities.”

“For me, I don’t speak in hyperbole very often, but it was a life-changing experience,” he says.

“It’s one thing to go someplace for a week on vacation, and it’s another thing to plant yourself somewhere for five or six months. You assume the mantle of someone who’s there, almost like a local. And I just really enjoyed that,” Mike says.

“Without Fulbright, I wouldn’t have even looked for another opportunity. It made all the difference.”

Read more about philanthropy and how to support the Fulbright Finland Foundation, including using RMDs: www.fulbright.fi/work-with-us/donate

Read the whole Fulbright Finland News 1/2025!