On April 11, Andrew Rich will be inaugurated as the 17th president of Franklin & Marshall College. He is the first in his family to become a college president, but not the first to serve as an academic leader. Andy’s dad, Dan Rich, had a 50-year career at the University of Delaware (UD), where he was both dean and provost for many years.

Dan, now a University Professor of Public Policy Emeritus at UD, will introduce his son during the F&M investiture ceremony. It turns out that the careers of father and son have a lot in common. Both hold PhDs in political science and became college professors. Both are passionate about the power of young people to create positive change in our world. And both have had careers that have shifted between scholarship, teaching, and leadership. For Andy, that includes his recent role as dean of the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at the City College of New York, as well as serving as executive secretary and CEO of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation and president and CEO of the Roosevelt Institute.     

At his 2009 retirement as UD’s provost, Andy’s dad was called the "hardest working man in academia." The university's president, Patrick Harker, said Dan could move projects out of "paralysis" by using his extensive network in a community where he was widely respected.

Andrew Rich, 17th president of Franklin & Marshall College, with his dad, Dan Rich. Dan had a 50-year career at the University of Delaware (UD), where he was both dean and provost for many years. Now a University Professor of Public Policy Emeritus at UD, Dan will introduce his son during the F&M investiture ceremony.

Andy had the chance to watch his dad’s leadership from an early age. When Dan started at UD in 1970, Andy was only 6 months old. Dan recalls that those times were tumultuous in higher education; the country was in the throes of social and cultural changes that began in the 1960s. 

“We were in the middle of the Vietnam War, in the middle of the struggles for civil rights, and there was a lot of turmoil on campuses," Dan says. "It was challenging, but higher education helped our society change and grow stronger. I would say that what we're facing now is characterized by levels of uncertainty that are of a different nature, some of which go right to the core of what it means to provide support and access to higher education.”

Higher education has sailed into a storm of change — a diminishing pool of students because of shifting demographics; increased skepticism about the value of a college degree; the effects of the AI boom; political and social divisions over the goals of education; and financial instability across the sector.  

F&M is already meeting those challenges under President Rich. With new initiatives centered on innovative methods to recruit and retain high-achieving students, build stronger connections with F&M’s 30,000 difference-making alumni, and fundraise for areas that add transformative value to the F&M student experience, the College is well-situated for the future.

"At every institution, whether it's F&M, Delaware, MIT, where I earned my PhD, or anyplace else, there are levels of uncertainty that we haven't seen for a long time," Dan says. "I think these are difficult times, but we've been in difficult times before, and prevailed." 

Born and raised in New York City, where he received his B.A. from Brooklyn College, Dan and his sister Barbara were the first in their family to attend college. His father was a percussionist on Broadway. His mom stayed at home to raise Dan and his sister. Dan earned a Master's of Public Administration and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh, where he met his wife of almost sixty years, Nancy, who was a recently returned Peace Corps volunteer when they met.

Andy grew up immersed in higher education. His mother, Nancy, taught English at the University of Delaware. “We lived at the edge of the campus, and growing up, Andy and his sister, Jennifer, regarded the campus as their neighborhood park,” Dan says.  

During college, Andy tied his studies to practical experiences to better understand the field of politics, even serving as a driver for Tom Carper, Delaware’s congressman, who later became governor and then U.S. Senator.” Andy wanted to make politics and government work better,” Dan says, “and he still does.”

“Andy’s mom and I have admired F&M since we moved to Delaware,” Dan says, “and we are proud that Andy has the opportunity to lead one of the nation’s finest liberal arts colleges at this critical moment, into its next chapter of success.” 

“We are excited about the inauguration, and I feel privileged to introduce Andy. I know Andy very well, and I have never seen him as excited or as deeply committed as he is now.” Andy uses this phrase for F&M: 'made for this moment,' Dan says. "And I know he's ready for this moment."

The Inauguration of Andrew Rich

Join us on Saturday, April 11, 2026, for the inauguration of Andrew Rich as Franklin & Marshall College’s 17th president.

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