BY STEVEN VIERA ’16
News Editor

Daniel Porterfield, president of the College, and Shawn Jenkins ’10, director of F&M College Prep, recently appeared on Higher Education Today, a television show that focuses on higher education in America. Porterfield and Jenkins discussed F&M’s College Prep program and commitment to the liberal arts.

On Thursday, March 14, Porterfield and Jenkins appeared at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) studios in Washington, D.C. to film their segment for Higher Education Today. They mainly discussed F&M College Prep, a three-week long pre-college seminar for low income, high achieving high school students during the Summer before their senior year.

Also discussed was the newly created Office of Student and Post-Graduate Development (OSPGD), the College’s commitment to offering financial aid to admitted students, and the benefits of a liberal arts education from a college like F&M.

“We are really focused on giving our students an opportunity to experience the liberal arts firsthand,” Jenkins said.

Porterfield and Jenkins’ appearance came as the result of Steven Roy Goodman, the host of Higher Education Today, contacting Julia Ferrante, F&M’s director of media relations. Goodman and Ferrante discussed several of F&M’s initiatives including College Prep, OSPGD, F&M’s loan relief program, and more.

“After we spoke, Mr. Goodman was interested in learning more about these initiatives and particularly how F&M, as a small national liberal arts college, has emerged as a leader in these efforts,” Ferrante said. “He agreed that Mr. Jenkins and President Porterfield were the best representatives of the College to appear on the show.”

According to Ferrante, the program will be broadcast on UDC TV in Washington, D.C. beginning in April and will be broadcast once daily for a month. It will also be available on F&M’s website and YouTube, as well as on Amazon, iTunes, and Rhapsody Online as a podcast.

This appearance on Higher Education Today comes at a time when F&M is being increasingly featured in national news.

In recent months, the College has been garnering attention as a leader in strategic initiatives for recruiting and retaining high-achieving students from all backgrounds, as well as for exceptional faculty and staff research projects.

Publications that have recently discussed F&M include The New York Times, Inside Higher Ed, USA Today, The Christian Science Monitor, Issues in Higher Education, Education Next, and Bisnow for subjects like F&M College Prep, the College’s partnership with the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), OSPGD, loan relief efforts, and faculty research in religion, politics, science, and a number of other topics.

“We are pleased to have gained such comprehensive national coverage and will continue to work to spread the word about the exciting things happening at Franklin & Marshall,” Ferrante said.

Questions? Email Steven at sviera@fandm.edu.

[fblike layout=”standard” show_faces=”true” action=”recommend” font=”arial” colorscheme=”light”]

By TCR