Building a Stronger Student-Alumni Connection

Rising senior Mia Gwirtzman has always been an artist. But after a semester at Franklin & Marshall College, she began to realize the broader implications of art. “Franklin & Marshall has such an awesome liberal arts program and a flexible sort of curriculum that I was able to customize my learning,” she said. That enabled Gwirtzman to create a joint major in art history and public health. Thanks to funding from the Marshall Fellows Program, she traveled to London over spring break to complete research for a podcast focused on both fields. After returning, Gwirtzman recorded the audio on campus with a podcast kit available for any F&M student to rent. A media studio in Old Main provided a sound-proof space. Below, learn how Gwirtzman’s academic passions led her to London.Mia Gwirtzman '24Hometown: Hewlett, N.Y. Major: Art history & public health (joint major) See her art: Instagram.com/throwingemshade Tell us about your Marshall project.  This spring, I had the most amazing opportunity to travel to London on the Marshall Fellowship. London is home to the Wellcome Collection, a vast library filled with primary and secondary medical sources. During my trip, I focused my research on the larger ethical question of displaying medical information through the lens of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. When I got back to the states, I consolidated my research into an episode of a podcast. How did you combine art history and public health for this project? I took an art history course at F&M – “Survey of Art History” – and I fell in love. I was always a creative person. I love trying out new mediums: drawing, painting; I do it all. So I thought art history would be a great way to carry out my passion while learning about a historic time period. [Marshall funding] gives you a lot of freedom to make a meaningful project. Originally, my plan was to do an art installation. Before public health, before everything, I'm an artist. That all changed when I was driving back to campus one day, listening to a public health podcast. They were talking about the history of epidemics. And meanwhile, I was taking my first public health class, “Public Health in the United States,” with Nicholas Bonneau [adjunct assistant professor of history]. It was that moment on the Pennsylvania Turnpike where I had this brilliant idea: What if I make a podcast? What if I combine my two interests – history and public health? Why did you choose F&M? It was honestly love at first sight. I had never felt so connected to a school. When I was walking the campus, I really did see myself here. I knew that I was going to thrive here. I could not have ever expected this amount of support and research opportunity as a humanities scholar, as a public health student. I wish I could go back and tell my younger self, “Although you're excited, get more excited about how much you'll learn, change and adapt.”

Liberal arts colleges and educational leaders from around the country will gather at Franklin & Marshall College June 1-3 for a conference to imagine the workplace of tomorrow. “The Liberal Arts and the Future of Work” is expected to focus on the changing nature of education and work and the central role the liberal arts can play in the workplace now emerging. “We’ve reached an inflection point where there is a need for liberal arts colleges to become more forward-looking, to envision and create the knowledge needed for the future,” said Professor of Legal Studies Jeffrey Nesteruk, deputy provost for new academic initiatives.Leading the conference, Nesteruk said this does not mean abandoning the liberal arts’ invaluable tradition of preserving and transmitting the wisdom of the past, but rather it means folding that wisdom into new curricular programs. “Because today’s students will experience a work world significantly different from that of even a decade ago, liberal arts colleges must strive to imagine tomorrow,” he said. Among the institutions  that will be represented at the conference  are the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program, Babson College, Bentley University, Bryn Mawr College, Bucknell University, Carleton College, College of the Holy Cross, Colorado College, Connecticut College, DePauw University, Gettysburg College, Lawrence University, Mount Holyoke College, New York University’s Stern School of Business, Oberlin College, Prescott College, Swarthmore College, Washington and Lee University and Wesleyan University. A panel of college presidents will open the convening. “It is in addressing this new environment that the classic virtues of liberal arts colleges display their contemporary currency,” Nesteruk said. “Liberal arts colleges have always been integral to strength and cohesion in our flourishing years. In disconcerting times, we may discover their value is even greater.”

By the time they graduate, many Franklin & Marshall College students have a favorite place on campus. For music producer Ed Chung ’97, room B-11 in the Steinman College Center meant so much to him that he named his business after it. Chung, who majored in music, spent countless hours rehearsing in B-11 with The Poor Richards, F&M’s oldest a cappella group. He now owns the production company B-11 Entertainment and recently returned to campus to produce an album with current students. Over three days in April, Chung recorded each member of The Poor Richards singing their part for various songs, creating tracks to combine in post-production.Chung, who is a member of the professional a cappella group Duwendé, said this approach can be challenging for singers used to performing together. “You’re by yourself…you have to perform your part with nothing. It’s a very unnatural way to do it,” he said. But he believes recording singers individually gives producers more freedom. “I can tweak certain notes and create a robust version of the group that still reflects what they actually sound like,” Chung said. Chung emphasized the effort The Poor Richards had put in to prepare for the recording process: “They do all the arrangements and all the work of practicing and performing the songs, and then I just get to come in and hit record.”Chung grew up playing instruments and studying music, but said it felt very “academic” to him until he joined an a cappella group in high school. There, he found joy, creative expression and community. “I fell in love with the camaraderie of being in a singing group in particular,” he said. During his first year at F&M, Chung didn’t discover The Poor Richards until after auditions had ended. Determined to be involved, he reached out to the group and learned they were looking for another bass, his vocal part at the time. Chung was a member of The Poor Richards during all four years at F&M, and met his wife, Abbey Janes ’00, through the group.Chung’s family had encouraged him to study medicine, and while he knew he wanted to pursue a creative career, he also explored pre-med courses to keep his options open. “I wanted to finish the pre-med curriculum to prove to everyone that I had thought this through – I didn’t just come to college and decide that organic chemistry was too hard,” he said. After graduating, Chung decided to pursue music full-time and founded B-11 Entertainment in 2002. The company does audio production and design for a variety of projects, including video games and commercials, with a particular focus on vocalists and a cappella groups.Chung recorded The Poor Richards several times between 2005 and 2010, but raising a young family made frequent travel from New York City to Lancaster difficult. He handed the project over to an intern for a time, then eventually lost contact with the group. “I lost touch and kind of got disconnected for a bit,” he said. Then, in January 2023, F&M rising senior Liz Joslin reached out to Chung. Joslin asked if he still recorded student a cappella groups and if he would be interested in working with The Poor Richards. Chung was eager to reconnect. “I didn’t know what [The Poor Richards] were up to, I didn’t know what songs they performed. So this was a good chance for me to do it again and reconnect with the group that literally gave me everything,” he said. “And here we are, working on another series of songs.”

GAMBIER, Ohio – The Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team is headed back to the Final Four for the 12th time in program history (ninth in the NCAA era) following an 18-13 win against No. 18 Pomona-Pitzer on Sunday afternoon. The Diplomats (18-4) will be making their first appearance in the national semifinals since back-to-back trips during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. The Diplomats put the pressure on early and rode that strong opening half to a win as they were up 7-3 following a strong 15 minutes, but added to that advantage during a 5-1 second quarter. Four different F&M players recorded hat tricks in the victory, led by five goals and one assist from Sydney Lowe. Gillian Brennan added four goals and one assist, with Lydia Cassilly (3 goals, 3 assists) and Maddy Birch (3 goals) routinely finding their chances to score. Lane Lambeth (2 goals) and Lauren Pittman (1 goal, 1 assist) also had multiple points in the victory. FULL STORY

Andrew D. Stelljes, Ph.D. has been appointed as Franklin & Marshall’s new vice president of student affairs. He will begin his duties July 5. Stelljes currently serves as the associate vice president for student affairs at William & Mary. He also serves as faculty in residence at the William & Mary Washington Center. Stelljes provides leadership for various departments that support student engagement, learning, leadership and personal development, and holds teaching appointments in William & Mary's School of Education and the Department of Public Policy.Stelljes was selected for his F&M position after a very competitive national search. Reporting directly to President Barbara Altmann as a member of F&M’s senior staff, he will oversee all areas of student life, including the offices of athletics and recreation, faith and meaning, student wellness, student accessibility services, and student housing, along with the Office of Student and Post-Graduate Development (OSPGD). "I am excited to welcome Drew Stelljes to Franklin & Marshall,” said President Barbara Altmann. “His years at William & Mary have helped him develop a keen understanding of the structures and systems that allow students – and staff – to succeed. Students are at the heart of all we do, and I am confident Drew will lead this vibrant and energetic division with vision, integrity and warmth.” Stelljes is the author of "Service-Learning and Community Engagement: Toward Long-term Developmental Social Concern" (Cambia Press, 2008).  He has written many journal articles concerning leadership, community-based learning, and placing students' intellectual and developmental needs at the center of learning. "I am thrilled to join President Altmann’s team at Franklin & Marshall College at this exciting time in F&M's history," Stelljes said. "F&M has a well-deserved reputation for academic excellence, along with truly exceptional faculty, staff, alumni and students. Throughout the interview process, I was captivated by the dedication of faculty and staff to engage students in joyful communities. I'm deeply committed to centering inclusion and belonging in all of our work. I will be resolute in working with President Altmann and the entire F&M community to advance the goals of the strategic plan." Stelljes earned his doctorate in educational policy, planning and leadership from William & Mary. He received both his master's degree in counseling psychology and his bachelor's degree in organizational communication from James Madison University. He and his wife, Amy, currently live in Williamsburg, Va., and have three children.

A brave new world of artificial intelligence (AI) opened in the classroom this year so we sat down with ChatGPT-4 and two Franklin & Marshall College professors to discuss the future. What do they think that brave new world will look like? Nicholas Montemarano, Alumni Professor of Creative Writing and Belle Lettres, and Associate Professor of Computer Science Ed Novak offered some sobering and hopeful insights. Montemarano, who teaches creative writing, also invited ChatGPT-4 to participate in the discussion. The professors and the machine responded to a series of questions asked by the human writing this. Their responses have been edited for brevity. Q: Can AI write better than humans? Montemarano: It depends on what we mean by "better." My hypothesis is that AI writes "better" than some humans, but far worse than the best human writers. To be clear, I'm thinking in terms of creative writing. When I think of George Saunders, a contemporary fiction writer who stands out to me for his unique style and voice, there's no way AI could produce writing so idiosyncratic. I suppose you could feed AI everything Saunders has ever written and ask it to write a story in the style of Saunders, but my guess is that it would be a very watered down and laughable attempt to write like Saunders. Let's say George Saunders never existed. Do I believe that AI ever could have produced something that sounds like Saunders' writing? Not a chance! Only a human being could. I could say the same for many writers—Lydia Davis, Raymond Carver, Virginia Woolf, etc. Novak: “Better" is very subjective in most writing. In expository writing, I think that current AI can write as well as a well-motivated, but perhaps haphazard undergraduate student.  In terms of persuasive, descriptive, and narrative writing, the AI does not do as well. It is comparable to a lower-class-year high school student.  Current AI writes much faster, and can be coerced via elaborate prompt-writing to perform better or worse according to the user's desired criteria. ChatGPT-4: It depends on how you define "better.” AI can certainly generate a large amount of text quickly, and in some cases, it can produce text that is grammatically correct and coherent. In fact, AI language models like GPT-3 have shown impressive capabilities in generating human-like text. However, when it comes to producing text that is creative, engaging, and emotionally resonant, humans still have the upper hand. AI lacks the ability to understand the nuances of human emotions, experiences, and cultural contexts, which are essential for producing truly compelling writing.Q: As a professor of English and a published author, how do you imagine AI being used in your teaching two years from now? Montemarano: It's hard to say, but my best guess is that I won't use it at all in my creative writing courses. I'm very happy teaching human writers. I have no desire to involve AI writing—not even to discuss the ways it may lack certain qualities we see in the best human writing. Maybe I should be more curious, but the truth is, I'm not. Q: How do you imagine AI being used to teach English two years from now? ChatGPT-4: In the next two years, AI could be used in several ways to enhance the teaching of English: AI can be used to automate the assessment of written and spoken English, providing instant feedback on grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and other language skills. This could help teachers save time and provide more individualized feedback to students. Create personalized learning plans for students based on their individual needs, interests, and learning styles. Provide students with real-time support and guidance as they practice speaking and listening in English. Develop language models that analyze large amounts of text and provide insights into grammar, vocabulary, and usage patterns. These models can be used to create more effective language learning materials, such as textbooks, exercises, and instructional videos. While AI cannot replace human teachers, it can complement their efforts and provide students with more opportunities to practice and improve their language skills. Q: As a professor of computer science, how do you imagine AI being used in your teaching two years from now? Novak: I have been thinking a lot about both how my teaching and how the computer science industry in general are likely to change based on these new AI agents. My inclination is to accept the presence of AI and to teach students to effectively utilize it. AI is particularly threatening to programmers. But, as more time passes, the more it is clear to me that current AI is not sophisticated enough to replace programmers. Q: How do you imagine AI being used to teach computer science two years from now? ChatGPT-4: In the next two years, AI could be used in several ways to enhance the teaching of computer science: Automated Grading. Create personalized learning paths for students based on their individual strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles. Virtual teaching assistants can be used to provide students with real-time support and guidance as they work through coding exercises and assignments. Tutoring systems can be used to provide students with feedback and guidance in real-time as they work through coding exercises and assignments. These systems can analyze a student's code and provide suggestions for improvement, as well as provide explanations for concepts they may be struggling with. Overall, AI has the potential to revolutionize the teaching of computer science by providing more personalized, efficient, and effective learning experiences for students