On Sept. 23, 2026, President Rich and Vice President of Communications, Sally Badoud, hosted the annual State of the College on Zoom. In this article, I will cover the main points you need to know.
President Rich announced the biggest incoming freshman class in seven years with 581 first year students and 18 new transfer students. Despite record enrollment, the college still faces many enrollment challenges, specifically lack of affordability. President Rich discussed the college’s issues of providing necessary financial aid, which is an admission priority, while also making a profit as a school. He also discussed Franklin and Marshall’s endowment, which he hopes to expand in the future.
F&M has also raised the most money in one year it ever has this past year with a record $43 million. This has been mostly due to alumni donations. Along with the hiring of James Dicker, the new Vice President for Advancement, there have been significant efforts to increase fundraising. There had also been more efforts for alumni engagement, including the launch of Hire Diplomats. Hire Diplomats is a new service through the career center to provide job and internship listings to current students directly through F&M alumni.
Another hot button topic is the college’s use of AI. President Rich addressed this, insinuating that AI is something we must adapt to. He also discussed the ethics of AI and how F&M students must adapt and learn from this. He also announced a new faculty fellowship to address and discuss AI between F&M professors. Provost Kramer also announced her new series called Humans Plus AI to discuss AI in the future.
Another big issue at the moment, that the college has yet to resolve, is dining issues. President Rich addressed the ongoing Sodexo investigation along with the new leadership in Diplomat Dining. This has been a pressing issue for the college and they report that it has been a top priority during these past weeks.
President Rich also announced plans to increase men’s Greek life in the upcoming years. He announced a pathway to have six active fraternities on campus, an increase from the current four. Men’s Greek life has had a rocky journey at F&M, and he intends to bring it to the level of F&M’s women’s Greek life.
Lastly, President Rich addressed the Trump administration’s recent restrictions on the employment and internship opportunities that international students can take on. F&M will be adhering to these guidelines. However, they will be enhancing on-campus work for international students to still allow them equal opportunities to domestic students.
Freshman Naomi Kaufman is a Contributing Writer. Their email is nkaufman@fandm.edu.