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Video by Andrew Bilindabagabo

Franklin & Marshall College marked an inspiring new chapter on Saturday with the inauguration of the 239-year-old institution鈥檚 17th president, Andrew Rich, who assumed the presidency in July 2025.

The investiture ceremony, held at F&M鈥檚 Alumni Sports & Fitness Center on Harrisburg Avenue, drew a distinguished audience of alumni, students, faculty, staff, local leaders, and delegates from across the nation鈥檚 higher education landscape. .

Eric Noll, chair of F&M's Board of Trustees, and a 1983 graduate and parent of a 2009 graduate, noted that an investiture is more than an academic tradition. "It鈥檚 a celebration of community,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ringing together the College, the City of Lancaster, and the broader higher education community in shared pride and purpose."

During his inaugural address, President Rich emphasized F&M鈥檚 vital role in shaping future leaders. 

"The thread running through my entire career, from classroom to administration, is a single conviction: that developing the next generation of leaders is the most consequential work a person can do,鈥� Rich said. 

"Developing the next generation of leaders is the most consequential work a person can do."

F&M President Andrew Rich

In his view, few places are better suited for the work of leadership development and civic engagement than liberal arts colleges. It鈥檚 what this moment calls for, according to Rich, and it鈥檚 what F&M is designed to provide.

鈥淚n a world of accelerating division, we teach the habit of free and open speech, and genuine dialogue. In a world of narrowing attention, we cultivate depth. In a world that values scale above all, we invest in the individual student, the individual mind, the individual life 鈥� and trust that investing in each one compounds into something extraordinary,鈥� Rich said.

That vision finds its fullest expression at Franklin & Marshall College, where students develop the critical thinking, adaptability, and collaborative spirit that prepare them to lead in every field, sector, and community. 

Under President Rich鈥檚 leadership, F&M is advancing the value proposition for the liberal arts 鈥� and its urgency 鈥� while shaping graduates who are prepared to learn with purpose and make lasting impact. In Rich鈥檚 first nine months as president, F&M has experienced record-breaking fundraising, including investments in student wellness and performance, leadership programming, academic departments and research, the performing arts, Jewish life, and much more. During the ceremony, Rich announced F&M is currently developing plans for a Curiosity Center, a dedicated space to help students discover what genuinely drives them.

Rich has also continued to strengthen ties with the City of Lancaster, with Lancaster Mayor Jaime Arroyo seated at the president鈥檚 side during the ceremony. Mayor Arroyo offered a greeting on behalf of the Lancaster community.

"You鈥檝e had countless sit-down meetings with students, alumni, Lancaster community members, and leaders because you want Lancaster to know that F&M isn鈥檛 an institution in a bubble, but one that is in partnership with the City and its neighbors," Arroyo said. "Through your leadership, we鈥檝e already seen an increased investment from students. From the Diplomatic Congress attending City Council meetings to sports teams organizing weekly community clean ups, F&M students are investing in the Lancaster City community more than ever. They are following the leadership and investment that they see from you."

The ceremony also featured a personal introduction by Rich鈥檚 father, Daniel Rich, a distinguished professor emeritus of public policy and former provost at the University of Delaware.

"Over the past 20 years, Nancy [Andy鈥檚 mother] and I have watched Andy take on many meaningful leadership roles 鈥� at the Roosevelt Institute, the Truman Foundation, and the Colin Powell School 鈥� always focused on helping young people become leaders and on using knowledge to improve public policy and enhance people's lives," said Daniel Rich. "But we have never seen him as excited or as deeply committed as he is now. Everything before this feels like preparation to serve as president of Franklin & Marshall College. This is the role he was meant to embrace, and he brings to it all that he has learned along the way."

President Rich's tenure at F&M follows a career dedicated to civic leadership and academic excellence. Rich most recently served as the Richard J. Henley and Susan L. Davis Dean of the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at The City College of New York (CCNY). Under his leadership, the Powell School saw a 40% increase in student enrollment and significant growth in its academic programming.

Franklin & Marshall College is already on a similar trajectory with a president eager and excited for all that comes next: 鈥淭he best of Franklin & Marshall is not behind us but in the future that, together, we are shaping right now. And we will judge our progress, as F&M always has, by the success of our students,鈥� Rich said.