Photo courtesy of Deb Grove, Franklin & Marshall College/Communications Office
LANCASTER, Pa.—Andrew “Andy” Rich, dean of the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at the City College of New York, has been named the 17th president of Franklin & Marshall College. Following a highly competitive search process, F&M’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to appoint Rich as president.
Rich begins his duties in July, succeeding the retiring Barbara K. Altmann, who has led Franklin & Marshall since 2018. He is the Richard J. Henley and Susan L. Davis Dean of the Colin Powell School, the largest student division of CCNY. The Powell School is named for Gen. Colin Powell, a 1958 CCNY graduate who served as chair of the School’s Board of Visitors until his death in 2021. Its mission is to transform one of the nation’s most diverse student bodies into tomorrow’s global leaders. It is home to CCNY’s social science departments as well as the core public service, business, and leadership development programs at City College.
“I am excited to become an F&M Diplomat,” said Andrew Rich. “For more than 235 years, Franklin & Marshall has been a beacon for excellence in liberal arts education. We prepare students for fulfilling lives, inspiring them to achievements that enrich every sector of society. Rooted in Lancaster with a lens on the world, F&M creates tomorrow’s global citizens and change makers. I look forward to working with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the Lancaster community to advance our mission – and to do it in the Diplomat way. I offer my heartfelt thanks to the Board of Trustees and the search committee for their trust, and the opportunity to join you this summer as F&M’s 17th president.”
Before arriving at CCNY, Rich was executive secretary and CEO of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation from 2011 to 2019. That foundation is a federal agency that supports young people pursuing public service leadership across the United States and has several ties to Franklin & Marshall. Two F&M graduates in the last 12 years, Makaila Ranges ’22 and Akbar Hossain ’13, earned the prestigious Truman Scholarship. From 2009 to 2011, Rich was president and CEO of New York City’s Roosevelt Institute, a national think tank and leadership development organization based in New York City with ties to the FDR Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York.
A Delaware native, Rich earned his bachelor’s degree in political science in 1992 from the University of Richmond, where he earned a Truman Scholarship, and his doctoral degree in political science from Yale University in 1999. He is chair of the Board of Friends of the Truman Foundation, and previously taught political science at CCNY and Wake Forest University. He has written extensively about the role of think tanks and foundations in American politics and policymaking, and is the author of “Think Tanks, Public Policy, and the Politics of Expertise.”
“I am thrilled to welcome Andy Rich as F&M’s next president,” said Eric Noll ’83, chair of the College’s Board of Trustees. “He will build on Barbara Altmann’s successful presidency with his sharp strategic sensibilities and appreciation for the vitality of our excellent liberal arts college and its importance in our society’s future. I want to thank Susan Klein Klehr and the members of the search committee for their great work and tremendous success.”
“The members of our committee were very impressed with Andy’s vitality, vision and career accomplishments,” said Susan Klein Klehr ’73, a Trustee vice chair who chaired the search committee. “At the Colin Powell School, Andy extensively enhanced philanthropic support, increased enrollment, and grew programmatic offerings. Throughout the interview process, and in conversations with Andy’s references, it became clear that he was a rare and empowering leader who is ready to bring all this and more to F&M.”
The complete story on Rich’s appointment and a link to his full bio is here.