Dear F&M Community,

Thanks to gifts from more than 200 alumni, we are pleased to announce that the directorship of the Klehr Center for Jewish Life will be supported by an endowment in perpetuity. The endowment is named for Ralph S. Taber, Ph.D. P'16, the founding director of the Klehr Center, who retired in 2020. 

My sincere thanks to the many alumni and friends of F&M who supported this project, especially the lead donors, who were Alan & Millie Fell, Susan & Lenny Klehr, Dean & Gabrielle Benjamin, Doreen and Neil Davidowitz, Joshua & Giovanna DeLeon, Brett Harwood, and Judith Fishlow Minter & Mark Minter. The effort to endow the directorship was a labor of love for many alumni, and it's an extraordinary investment in the future of student life at F&M.  

In this issue, we also share profiles of the five new assistant professors who began at F&M this fall. I had the pleasure of meeting them in their first days on campus. They are an exceptional group and are hitting the ground running with new courses and innovative approaches to student engagement.

Best wishes,

Andrew Rich
President

Alumni Gifts Endow Director Position for Klehr Center for Jewish Life

Franklin & Marshall College is pleased to announce that the directorship of the Klehr Center for Jewish Life has been endowed by a group of alumni, parents and friends in honor of Ralph S. Taber, who spent more than 34 years working to support student life at F&M.

The Klehr Center for Jewish Life at Franklin & Marshall College serves as a hub of Jewish student life and community engagement on campus. Founded in 2008 following generous support from Leonard M. Klehr, Esq. ’72, P’12 and Susan Kline Klehr ’73, P’12, the Center offers a welcoming home for the College’s Hillel chapter and hosts a wide array of cultural, religious, educational and social programs open to all F&M students.

Get to Know F&M’s New Faculty

This fall, five new professors joined the Franklin & Marshall faculty—a vibrant community of scholars who shape the College’s distinctive academic experience. Join us in welcoming:

Their research interests range from parasitology to documentary film, from diplomatic networks in the Middle East to algorithmic surveillance online. Get to know these new members of our campus community and hear what they had to say about the F&M experience, life in Lancaster, and more.

Alex Scarboro ’26 Designs Custom Academic
Experience at F&M

Transcending traditional academic boundaries to create a highly personalized academic experience — that’s the Diplomat way. Alex Scarboro ’26 is following his own blueprint for a career in architecture by designing a custom major in studio art and business, organizations, and society. Scarboro is already building his professional portfolio through internships and an independent study with Bench Mark Program, a Lancaster-based nonprofit founded by F&M alumnus Will Kiefer ’14.

Alumni Coaches Shape New Generations of Diplomats

Franklin & Marshall is among an elite group of liberal arts colleges that maintain exceptional academic standards while also competing in athletics at a highly successful level, and approximately 40% of students compete in varsity sports. Some like it so much they return to coach the next generation of Diplomats—there are currently 13 coaches on the athletics staff who once represented F&M as student-athletes. Meet five graduates who now coach athletics at their alma mater:

“My favorite part about being a coach at F&M is that I get to give back to the program that shaped me as a player and a person,” said Erin McCormick ’20, assistant coach for the field hockey team.

Read more about alumni coaches and support Diplomat athletics during Raise Our Game, F&M’s annual fundraising campaign supporting student-athletes.

Franklin & Marshall Students Nancy Nguyen ’26 and Sergio Martin ’26 turned a passion for mathematics into meaningful solutions for a nonprofit combating food insecurity in Lancaster, Lebanon, and York counties.

The students worked with Christina Weaver, F&M’s Carmie L. and Beatrice J. Creitz Professor of Mathematics and department chair to build digital tools to optimize how The Power Packs Project distributes weekly food boxes and recipe cards to families with school-aged children.

“The most rewarding part was seeing how our work could make a real impact on a community organization, helping Power Packs make data-informed decisions to stretch their budget while maintaining healthy meals,” Marin said.

Key findings are available for the October 2025 Franklin & Marshall College Poll—the oldest statewide public opinion poll exclusively directed and produced in Pennsylvania. The poll is known nationally as a highly reliable source of information about Pennsylvania politics, public policy, public affairs, and elections. 

F&M students had the opportunity to develop questions for the poll about regulating artificial intelligence (AI), political party satisfaction and democracy.

— Ethan Grabowski ’26.

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