Franklin & Marshall College

The College was established in 1787 with a gift of 200 British pounds from Benjamin Franklin. On July 16 of that year, students who gathered in the humble surroundings of a brew house on Lancaster's Mifflin Street became the first class at the institution that would become Franklin & Marshall College.

Franklin & Marshall College is a residential college dedicated to excellence in undergraduate liberal education. Its aims are to inspire in young people of high promise and diverse backgrounds a genuine and enduring love for learning, to teach them to read, write, and think critically, to instill in them the capacity for both independent and collaborative action, and to educate them to explore and understand the natural, social and cultural worlds in which they live. In so doing, the College seeks to foster in its students qualities of intellect, creativity, and character, that they may live fulfilling lives and contribute meaningfully to their occupations, their communities, and their world.