F&M Stories
Common Hour Returns with New Format
With the start of the fall semester comes the continuation of a Franklin & Marshall tradition, but with a twist.
Common Hour begins Sept. 7 and will resume weekly with the addition of a new Campus Hour program.
Events are Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. and held in the Barshinger Center for Musical Arts unless otherwise noted. Common Hour and Campus Hour events are open to the public. View the complete schedule.
Common Hour enables the F&M and Lancaster communities to engage in a campuswide dialogue about vital international, national and local issues. While Common Hour has a lecture format, Campus Hour has a discussion and activity format.
Campus Hour aims to mirror Common Hour’s wide-ranging programming, but with an emphasis on F&M topics and resources.
The Sept. 7 kickoff event, “Building Resiliency and Mental Health Through Multiple Pillars of Wellness,” features Josh March, owner of Lancaster-based EmPower Training Systems and member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.
There are 13 Common Hour talks scheduled for the fall semester. They feature faculty experts, alumni leaders, and speakers from outside the campus community. The final event of the academic year is a Dec. 7 student concert featuring the College's popular a cappella groups.
Many of the events will be recorded and shared with off-campus audiences, including alumni, students studying abroad, and friends of the College.
Related Articles
February 18, 2025
F&M’s Resident Poet Inspires Students to Find Their Voices
Documentary Poet Niki Herd, an assistant professor of English at F&M, is an artist and a teacher who inspires.
February 12, 2025
Ensuring the Success of the College That Brought Them Together
Katja Seim ’95 and John Parapatt ’95 met for the first time at F&M in 1992. More than 30 years later, the two demonstrate gratitude for the college that brought them together through philanthropy. “Our giving is motivated by a desire for other students to have the opportunities that we had, including financial support,” Parapatt said.
February 3, 2025
Stepping Beyond Your Academic Comfort Zone
For two Franklin & Marshall College alumni, a science writing course was a preamble to postgraduate success. “You'll never have a life-changing moment unless you try something new,” said Elizabeth Heppenheimer ’14.