Franklin & Marshall College

Franklin and Marshall College is a liberal arts college in Pennsylvania, and is a member of the Centennial Conference. 

Some two-thirds of F&M students do an independent study or self-designed module before they graduate, a noted feature of the college.

The campus is known for its inherently unique Harry Potter-esque living situation in which all first-year students are assigned to one of five college houses: Bonchek, Brooks, Weis, New and Ware. In each college house, students live together, share meals and plan and attend events.

The campus is in walking distance of downtown Lancaster’s main attractions and offers a variety of things for students to do. Stores and restaurants stay open late for First Friday – a lively celebration at the end of the first week of each month – and on Third Fridays, art galleries and performance centres host shows. 

Sports teams at Franklin and Marshall are members of the NCAA Division III Centennial Conference and are especially competitive in both men’s basketball and women’s lacrosse.

The college has a stadium – the Sponaugle–Williamson Field – which houses outdoor athletic teams. The venue was named after S. Woodrow Sponaugle, who coached football and basketball, in addition to being the athletic director at F&M for 15 years. 

Based on campus, the Phillips Museum of Art is a centre for student and faculty research, which hosts visiting scholars and artists, thereby broadening resources for students. Moreover, the Writers House serves as the literary performance space for the college community, by welcoming emerging authors, hosting classes and facilitating learning. 

Notable alumni include Richard Treat Williams, a Golden Globe and Emmy award-nominated American actor and children’s book author, James Elliot Lapine, an American stage director, film-maker, playwright and screenwriter, and Kenneth M. Duberstein, who served as US President Ronald Reagan’s White House Chief of Staff from 1988 to 1989.