Dear Parents,

Summer greetings!

It’s been a whirlwind of activity here on campus since the spring semester concluded. We enjoyed a lovely graduation ceremony bidding farewell of the Class of 2008, followed by our Beginnings pre-orientation program for new incoming students and their parents. Then, earlier this month, we welcomed back hundreds of alumni celebrating their reunion. I always love visiting with returning alumni but this year’s Reunion Weekend was especially thrilling for me as I celebrated my own 25th reunion!

Beginnings, Commencement, Reunions - the traditions we witness each year on a college campus are gratifying, exciting, emotional, and very meaningful as they mark our seminal moments. As the College gains momentum in terms of national recognition and as the campus continues to develop into one of the most gorgeous campuses in the country, our collective pride in Franklin & Marshall puts even more spirit into these annual ceremonies.

Thank you for being a part of the excitement!

I’d like to share just two important messages with you this month: my encouragement to participate in our Summer Send Off Parties and an unabashed end-of-the-fiscal-year plug for the Franklin & Marshall Fund.

Summer Send Off Parties

Each summer, my office partners with our Alumni Relations Office and the Alumni Association to produce Summer Send Off Parties in various locations around the country.

These events invite current families, alumni and friends in these regions to welcome our newest students and their families to the Franklin & Marshall community and to "send them off" to Lancaster with well wishes.

I strongly encourage your family to attend one of these events if at all possible. You are welcome to participate in any location that may be convenient for you - even during your summer travels. The presence of current families means a great deal to the new students and their parents as they prepare for their Franklin & Marshall experience.

Below are the details for this summer’s parties. You can RSVP to any of these parties by calling our Alumni Relations Office at 866.925.5500. And, of course, feel free to contact me with any questions.

Hundreds of current and past parents have already given this year (July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008) to the Franklin & Marshall Fund. Thank you so much to our donors! And, of course, thank you to so many parents who’ve contributed toward other restricted purposes over the last year.
If you haven’t yet been motivated to participate in the Franklin & Marshall Fund, I ask for your consideration as we wrap up this fiscal year. Consider these highlights from the last year:

• The opening of Barshinger Life Sciences & Philosophy Building and College Row
• The acquisition of the Armstrong property
• Our record-breaking admission year
• The announcement of the new Wohlsen Center for Sustainability
• The Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Mellon Foundation Grants received by the College
• The Forums on Presidential Politics

Your gift to the Franklin & Marshall Fund helps the College in many ways:

• Helps the College cover the "gap" that exists between the cost of tuition and the significantly higher cost of your student’s Franklin & Marshall education
• Supports faculty-student collaboration, student research, student activities, College House programs, financial aid, athletics and just about everything else going on here
• Sends a tangible "thank you" to President Fry and to the other leaders of Franklin & Marshall for their stewardship of this historic institution over this last year and encourages their continued hard work on behalf of our students
• Allows you to act as a philanthropic role model for your child, showing them the importance of loyalty to their institution, thereby encouraging their future generosity toward their alma mater
• Increases our percentage of parent giving, a statistic that should be reflective of the high level of satisfaction parents express regarding their students’ experience at Franklin & Marshall

We’d very much appreciate the opportunity to count you into our list of donors. Please give today if you are able - every gift matters. You may decide to make your gift in honor of your student or of a special professor or friend on campus; and you may choose to send your support to a specific academic department. Our secure on-line site allows you to take advantage of these options. Or, you may call our credit card hotline at 1-800-955-6654. And of course, we welcome your gift in the old-fashioned way - a check made payable to Franklin & Marshall College addressed to: Gift Accounting, Development Office, Franklin & Marshall College, P.O. Box 3003, Lancaster, PA 17604.

Thank you for being a part of the Franklin & Marshall community.

All the best,

Maura Condon Umble ‘83
Director of Parent Programs
Office of College Advancement
Franklin & Marshall College
maura.umble@fandm.edu
717.291.3888

Copyright © 2008 Franklin & Marshall College
P.O. Box 3003 | Lancaster, PA 17604
fandm.edu/parentprograms.xml