Welcome Home

About the College Houses

  • Rain Gardens

A distinctive feature of the Franklin & Marshall experience is the College House residential community. These are not run-of-the-mill dormitories, but lively centers of intellectual, extracurricular and social engagement governed by the students who live there.

Our Houses are dynamic spaces where students and faculty are encouraged to continue conversations begun in the classroom, lab or office — adding an important and distinctive dimension to the overall living and learning experience at F&M. 

Each House is assigned a faculty mentor (don) and administrative facilitator (dean).

A New Way to Learn

  • What Matters

All first-year students are assigned to their College House based on the interest they express for their first-year Connections course, a seminar-style learning environment.

The seminars set the pattern for the year to come — a vibrant intellectual life that doesn’t restrict learning to the classroom.

Students choose from first-year seminars ranging from general academic courses in chemistry, music composition, Russian history, human genetics and the like, to more specific areas of study, such as Civil War fictions, Zeno’s paradoxes, underworlds and afterlives, and more.

You're In Charge

  • Bonchek bagel breakfast

House residents chart their own courses for study and play. Each house receives a substantial annual budget that students may spend on social programs, academic and community activities, special projects and more. Here are a few examples of events our students have organized within their Houses:

  • Formal dances
  • Theatrical productions
  • Play-reading discussions
  • Dinners with artists, authors and notable alumni
  • Pizza parties, bagel breakfasts and field trips
  • Student-run publications

The Houses

Every F&M College House crest was developed by the earliest student residents of the respective houses. The best part about the College Houses, our students say, is that students are in charge of their living spaces and organized activities.

House-Inspired Communities

Marshall Fellows Program

The Marshall Fellows program recognizes demonstrated academic excellence, creates a cohort of intellectually engaged students, encourages intellectual adventure, and provides support to Fellows for academic enrichment.  The program is intended to help students think about and prepare for post-graduate opportunities.

Learn More

Junto Society

The Junto Society is patterned after Benjamin Franklin's own organization of the same name.  The Society meets on five Sunday evenings during the academic year. Each senior member of the society presents a paper on a topic of public interest and current debate for discussion by all members.

Learn more
College House Deans 
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Brooks College House Dean
Office of Student Affairs

717-358-3860

wrqerx.qvarebf@snaqz.rqh

Office: Brooks College House

View Profile
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Weis College House Dean
Office of Student Affairs

717-358-4391

zryvffn.tvrff@snaqz.rqh

Office: Weis College House Dean's Office

View Profile
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Roschel College House Dean
Office of Student Affairs

717-358-5843

pbhegarr.wbeqna-pbk@snaqz.rqh

Office: NCH 108

View Profile
Director of Faith & Meaning
Office of Faith and Meaning

717-358-5814

wbfrcu.cevgpurgg@snaqz.rqh

Office: SCC

View Profile
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Bonchek College House Dean
Office of Student Affairs

717-358-3871

orgu.cebssvgg@snaqz.rqh

Office: BEN104

View Profile
The Pulse of the College Houses at F&M
Story 5/10/2023

F&M Senior Sculpts House from the Ground Up

Senior art major Lauren Proffitt spent her summer immersed in natural building materials thanks to a Marshall Fellow grant.

Read More
Story 5/8/2023

Senior Spotlight: Immanuela Antwi

Immanuela Antwi discusses why she enjoyed her time at F&M and how her professors, the Office of Student and Post-Graduate Development (OSPGD), and the pandemic pushed her out of her comfort zone and...

Read More
Story 5/5/2023

Senior Spotlight: Brenda Garcia

Brenda Garcia discusses how the F&M Softball team taught her important life skills, such as teamwork, time management, and discipline. 

Read More
Story 5/4/2023

Senior Spotlight: Vyas Agarwal

Vyas Agarwal discusses how he loved trying out new things and getting out of his comfort zone at F&M.

Read More
Story 5/2/2023

Senior Spotlight: Mary Sisler

Mary Sisler discusses what she'll miss about F&M and how her time at the College helped her grow.  

Read More
Story 5/1/2023

Senior Spotlight: Ruoyu Cao

Ruoyu Cao shares why she chose to attend F&M and what's next in her post-graduate journey. 

Read More