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.

Staff Council is proud to spotlight F&M departments and professional staff in Bell & Tower, a weekly newsletter for the faculty and professional staff of Franklin & Marshall College. We hope these spotlights will reveal some of the tremendous work being done by professional staff across campus, chip away at existing silos, and help you gain an understanding and appreciation of the varied ways in which your colleagues contribute to the mission of the College each day.   Do you want your department to be in the spotlight? We invite you to share stories and information about your teams via this form. Tell us about your role and how you support students at F&M. I’m thrilled to be back at my alma mater supporting students in the multiple areas covered by my role:  leadership, mentorship, and life design. My position allows me ample room to support F&M students in a variety of ways — from running leadership cohort groups on campus, such as the Harwood Leadership Seminar and the Diplomat Leadership Program, to stewarding some of F&M’s hallmark mentorship initiatives, like our True Blue Mentorship Program. In addition, I have the opportunity to lead a variety of trainings and workshops to support individual groups across campus — from helping club leadership intentionally transition from one year to the next to encouraging students as they build literacy in diverse areas of their lives, from career development and financial management to networking and articulating their own personal and professional stories. I’m excited to offer experiential learning opportunities that support students in being the best version of themselves. Why do you feel leadership, mentorship and life design is important to student success?  Success means different things to different people, but no matter the definition, it relies on students having the skills and confidence to chart their own paths in life. Giving students the knowledge that leadership is inclusive, values-based, and collaborative — and the space and guidance to explore what leadership means to them within and beyond these principles — offers them a head start in understanding who they are as leaders, community members, and individuals and how they will achieve their personal goals (or, put another way, design their own lives). Mentorship promotes this growth through individualized connections and support. I’m excited to work with our students as they build their own mentor “board of directors,” a diverse support network that makes it easier to navigate the complexities of our constantly changing world. What exactly does life design mean?  Life design is an extension of design thinking, which is a process used by designers and teams in various industries to intentionally create all manner of products and outcomes. In my role, I’m excited to help students connect with the resources they need to explore and chart meaningful, balanced, and fulfilling lives — from courses about financial literacy or etiquette to guidance for choosing an industry that feels personally fulfilling. Life design models can also provide students with tools for making difficult decisions in their lives. Moving from being told “you can do anything” while students are in high school and college, to choosing a defined something in a career or field after college can be a difficult transition. OSPGD and the larger F&M community are here to help students navigate these changes and exciting opportunities. What sort of programs and support can students expect this upcoming year? My career has focused on experiential and leadership education. I’ve taught in a range of settings up and down the East Coast and in the mountains of Colorado, and students will see our programming reflect that background. I’m looking forward to getting students outside and off-campus and connecting with the Lancaster community. We have some exciting plans for students this upcoming year — from community events in Lancaster to a Susquehanna Riverlands tour. I’m so looking forward to working with groups from across our campus and community, and my office door is always open! How do you feel F&M prepares students for success beyond F&M? As an alum, I call upon the skills and critical lens that I developed at F&M on an almost daily basis. In every class I took at the College, I was given the opportunity to develop personal relationships with not only my peers but also my professors — many of whom were the first colleagues I connected with upon returning to campus. It’s wonderful to now be supporting students with programming that compliments this academic power and to be joining a community full of individuals who are part of the same mission — fostering students of intellect, creativity, and character.

To Mike Wharton, Groundskeeping/Facilities and Operations, from Donna Pflum: Throughout the year, in all kinds of weather, Mike works tirelessly to keep the grounds and the parking areas around College Square and the ASFC in beautiful, pristine condition. Every day, our community benefits from his hard work and thoughtful care. Job well done, Mike. Thank you!

From Victoria Waddail to Admission staffers Kim Bryan and Julia Belser: Kim and Julia were the leads in planning our extremely successful Admitted Student Weekend, April 14-15. The events have already resulted in adding members to the Class of 2027, and the atmosphere was fun and upbeat the entire weekend. We have received glowing reviews from many students and parents. So much work goes into this event, so I wanted to acknowledge our lead planners -- and also our entire division and the whole F&M community -- for making this such a success!

For more than two decades, Dean Hammer lectured and wrote about democracies in ancient Rome and Greece, but now he tackles American democracy in comparison to Rome. “I’m really proud of this book,” Franklin & Marshall College’s John W. Wetzel Professor of Government said. “It is my sixth book and serves as a culmination of some different strands of my research program over my career.” Recently published by Cambridge University Press, “Rome and America: Communities of Strangers, Spectacles of Belonging” explores the founding myths in the cultural imagination of the two societies.The range of topics Hammer pulls together for his argument includes  American Western movies; bare-knuckle boxing; Native American policy, and the writings of Noah Webster, Charles Eastman, Booker T. Washington, and W.E.B. Du Bois. “Ultimately, American democracy, like the Roman republic, is confronted with a crisis of a government of strangers, in which consensus is shirked and dissensus [widespread dissent] celebrated,” Hammer writes. In three questions, Hammer shared some of his views on republics, democracy and his advice to students who aspire to an academic career. 1)    In the final chapter, “The Experience of Politics and the Crises of Two Republics,” you write about how the Roman republic collapsed. Do you see a similar occurrence in the United States?  I do. I first wrote about this danger years before it became fashionable. Every time I went back to work on the chapter, I realized that claims I had made that seemed alarmist at the time now seemed downright muted. In particular, I saw some early signs of how violence had seeped into our thinking as an acceptable or necessary aspect of our politics and culture. I’m not talking about fringe groups. I’m talking about how we talk about each other on social media, the increasing threats to government officials and election workers, the rising hate speech directed at each other, the hate-based vandalism and killings, the acts of violence that erupted in the midst of peaceful protests, the acts of overt violence against peaceful protestors, and, of course, the events of Jan. 6. But what is alarming is the frighteningly broad acceptance, and polls bear this out, that violence might be necessary, or that it is OK and can be excused. A democracy cannot survive when citizens see each other as enemies. 2)    Is the “community of strangers” in the two republics that you write about the reason that democracy thrives or the reason it dies? The notion of a community of strangers cuts in two ways. The Roman and American shared founding myths are exceptional in imagining a community formed through the continual incorporation of potentially anyone. They are communities that are not premised on any traditional markers of identity such as race, ethnicity, religion, genealogy, or land. That has the possibility of contributing to the openness and vibrancy of a healthy democracy. But there is a lingering question that underlies a community of strangers: If everyone can potentially be us, then who are we? The book explores different attempts to answer this question by turning what we all share—that we began as strangers—into a claim about who really belongs and who remains the threatening stranger. As Rome saw in the final decades of the republic and we are witnessing in our own politics, democracies are imperiled when the community divides into strangers who cannot understand, do not trust, and see as dangerous each other. 3)    What book-writing advice would you give students interested in an academic career? Here’s my advice to anyone writing. Write as a practice. I often joke that I am like a farmer plowing a field. I wake up every morning and I write for a certain amount of time. I do not set a particular goal for the day. I rarely end up where I thought I would. I have ups and downs about how I judge my own writing. And the finished product takes shape only after many iterations. I have a second piece of advice. Get a colleague or colleagues who give you honest feedback. It is others who are in a position to help us clarify our own thinking.