Franklin College freshmen move in as enrollment approaches 1,000 students

FRANKLIN — Franklin College has carved out a niche in higher education as a liberal arts college in its namesake city. Its class of 2028 has officially arrived to start their journey to a degree.

Franklin freshmen moved in Wednesday afternoon in preparation for their first classes next week. Several incoming students told WRTV they were drawn to Franklin College because of its small class experience.

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"I picked Franklin because of the community here," said Mayanna Navarra, an incoming freshman from Indianapolis. "I've always liked smaller schools, so this was the perfect one."

"I was looking at smaller liberal arts schools and Franklin came to me with a football scholarship," said freshman Noah Blankman, who moved to Franklin from Louisville, Kentucky. "When I got on campus, it felt like home to me."

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Nearly a thousand undergraduate students have enrolled at Franklin College, according to the college's estimates. The school is one of Indiana's oldest colleges and will celebrate its bicentennial in 2034.

Franklin College president Kerry Prather said the college has worked hard to retain interest after COVID-19 changed the perceptions of higher education. He estimates enrollment will grow to about 1,200 students by the time the incoming freshmen are seniors.

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"We're looking at what the economy is asking for and what prospective students are asking for so that we stay up with that demand," Prather said. "There are some real headwinds universally. In terms of Indiana, there's a dangerously declining matriculation rate of high school seniors to college."

The demand for liberal arts colleges across the country has been mixed. More than a dozen liberal arts colleges closed in 2023 alone, such as Iowa Wesleyan University and Alderson Broaddus University in West Virginia.

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Prather said Franklin College is staying strong through the changes because of modest spending and a focus on hands-on education.

"Even throughout courses of study like history, we've had our students do podcasts and do applications for state historical markers," Prather said. "They're putting their academic knowledge to work."

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The incoming freshmen said they are ready to learn that knowledge now that they are moved in.

"I kind of can't believe it, but I'm excited to start classes and meet a bunch of new people," Navarra said.

"I'm looking forward to my first class," Blankman said. "I'm not scared, I'm ready."