For Cheryl and Fred Scarboro P’26, supporting Franklin & Marshall College has become a deeply personal investment — one rooted in their son Alex’s outstanding experience and their shared belief that an F&M education transforms lives. The couple recently established the Scarboro Family Scholarship, a Franklin & Marshall Fund gift that immediately begins to provide financial aid for F&M students. 

Alex Scarboro ’26 chose F&M after an exhaustive college search. “F&M was his first choice," Cheryl shared. “It checked a lot of boxes for him: an elite small liberal arts college, a wonderful part of the country, the College House system, the small classes. And his professors have helped him design a major that fits his interests. We’ve been really thrilled to see his growth and development and how happy he’s remained at F&M.”

Alex is a varsity athlete on the Diplomats men's track team, a tutor in the Writing Center and an aspiring architect pursuing a joint studies major in studio art and business, organizations and society. At F&M, he’s found a community where he can thrive intellectually, socially and creatively. But he’s not the only one who found himself deeply engaged in the F&M community.

Cheryl, who recently retired as a partner at a New York law firm, is a Franklin & Marshall College Trustee, and Fred, founder and managing director of Idea Factory Capital Management, LLC, is chair of the College’s Parents Council. They've hosted admitted student events at their home, welcoming new families to F&M the summer before the start of classes. They’ve mentored current students, including helping them explore potential careers in law. And they’ve consistently given to the F&M causes that matter to them, including Diplomat Athletics and F&M Women & Philanthropy.

The Scarboros have a history of supporting causes they care about, especially education. Both look back with gratitude at the support they received as students that made their journeys possible. Fred received his law degree from New York University Law School and benefitted  extensively from scholarships at NYU as an undergraduate and law school student; he remembers having to calculate each semester whether he could afford to continue. Cheryl received a full scholarship to Duke University School of Law. 

“We know that there are so many people who couldn't attend the schools of their dreams without help,” Cheryl says. “We felt a sense of urgency to do our part and to ease that burden for talented students who otherwise couldn’t afford to go to F&M.” 

That sense of urgency inspired the Scarboros to make their gift through the Franklin & Marshall Fund, which provides immediate support for current students — a cohort of young scholars that has impressed the couple from their earliest experiences with the College.

“F&M students are prepared for change,” Fred says. “They're going to be wonderful critical thinkers. F&M is preparing the next generation to fix some of the things [our generation] didn't get right … and if there's an opportunity to help more students have access to that kind of experience, we ought to be leading the charge.”