LANCASTER, Pa. — Franklin & Marshall College has announced the retirement of President Dr, Barbara Altmann.
Her retirement is effective in July 2025, the Lancaster County college said on Thursday.
"As we begin this academic year, we look forward to celebrating her remarkable leadership, searching for our next president, and continuing to build on the enduring strength of our 237-year-old institution," the college stated.
Altman began her tenure as F&M's 16th president in 2018.
Before she arrived at F&M, Altmann had served as the provost at Bucknell University since 2015. A native of Canada, she received her bachelor’s degree with honors in romance languages at the University of Alberta. She earned her master’s degree in French from the University of Toronto, where she also earned her doctorate in medieval French language and literature.
As a scholar of the French Middle Ages, Altmann served for over 25 years at the University of Oregon. She was a professor of French, head of the Department of Romance Languages and director of the Oregon Humanities Center before spending her last three years at the university as senior vice provost for academic affairs. Early in her career, she also served as an assistant visiting professor at Dartmouth College.
"F&M is one of the finest colleges in the country," Altmann said. "It has been an honor to work with such smart, engaged, and dedicated students, faculty, staff, and alumni. I’m looking forward to another productive year moving the College forward, and when I leave, it will be with gratitude and admiration for this community and the wonderful city of Lancaster. I’ll always be an advocate for F&M and for the liberal arts."
Editor's Note: The date of Dr. Altmann's retirement was incorrect in a previous version of this post.