Franklin & Marshall College is a small, liberal arts college for men and women, located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. U.S. President Ben Franklin founded the original college with his own funds in 1787. Marshall college, named after Chief Justice John Marshall, was merged with Franklin college in 1836. Ben Franklin was one of the greatest thinkers in U.S. history. He strongly believed growth and progress are the ingredients of success and achievement. His legacy is upheld today with F&M's strong commitment to innovative learning. The college's traditional liberal arts ts curriculum is fortified by innovative programs in astronomy and astrophysics, biochemistry and molecular biology, three majors in environmental studies and geo-science, and a major in scientific and philosophic studies of the mind.
F&M is a founding member of The Life of the Mind Consortium, a joint venture with the Willow Valley Retirement Communities and two other learning institutions. This intergenerational program combines the experience, maturity and wisdom of retirees with the youthful enthusiasm of college and university students. Retirees are given the opportunity to serve as agents of change in a youth-oriented society that normally shuns them. The public is welcome at workshops, seminars and research projects.
Visitors are invited to join all campus lectures, theatre productions, dance performances, and film festivals. Various symposia and worships are held on topics like the environment, writing fiction and poetry, contemporary philosophy, brain evolution, and cultural diversity in a changing world. There is no fee for public attendance. The F&M Phillips Museum has separate art galleries, featuring performance art, painting, sculpture, photography and a collection of Lancaster folk art. The North Museum offers natural history exhibits and a planetarium, both with weekend events.
Lancaster's downtown restaurants are within blocks of F&M, offering cuisine to please any palate. Visitors are invited to try student dining options like the Ben Franklin all-you-can-eat cafeteria, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner at reasonable rates. Several fast-food chains are located throughout campus. F&M is located ninety minutes west of Philadelphia by car, two hours from Washington, DC, and three hours from New York City. Several local hotels offer special discounts to visitors of F&M.
