Francis Marion University is one of South Carolina's 13 public, co-educational universities. As one of the state's six comprehensive institutions, FMU prides itself on providing a strong liberal arts education.

The University offers a broad range of undergraduate degrees and a select number of graduate programs in serving the needs of communities, businesses and industries of the Pee Dee region. Francis Marion is the only state university located in the Pee Dee region, and many of its students are the first in their families to go to college.

FMU has the look and feel of a small, liberal arts college with all the benefits of a state-supported, comprehensive university. FMU offers an excellent learning environment, small enough to afford students personalized attention from faculty and staff, and large enough to let students expand their horizons. All faculty members have advanced degrees, and 83 percent of the full-time faculty hold doctoral or terminal degrees.

While 93 percent of its students come from South Carolina, the University enrolls students from 30 states and 32 foreign countries, allowing students to experience the diversity of people from other cultures. The student-faculty ratio is 15 to 1, and the average class size is 20. The average age of undergraduates is 22, while the average age of graduate students is 35.

Located about seven miles east of Florence, the 300-acre campus is known for its beautiful foliage and landscaping. The campus includes 100 acres of mixed pine-hardwood and bottomland forests accessed by a series of trails. Several acres have been set aside as an Arboretum that is being developed into a resource with many of the native species of the area.

The University's modern classroom buildings, laboratories, and residence facilities provide a safe, comfortable learning environment for students. The campus also features a number of recreational facilities that are available for use by students, faculty, staff, and alumni, and for use in intramural and intercollegiate athletic competition.

Most buildings have been constructed or renovated since 1970. Facilities are equipped with ramps, and those of more than one story are equipped with elevators. Though each building has its own unique design, all are planned for architectural harmony.

One of the busiest places on campus is James A. Rogers Library, the state's sixth largest academic library and the largest library in northeastern South Carolina. It serves as a valuable resource for individual citizens, businesses, and industries in the entire region.

The Pee Dee Education Center occupies a 10,000-square-foot facility adjacent to the campus. The Pee Dee Education Center is a regional educational consortium serving 19 area school districts, 110,000 students, and 6,000 teachers. Francis Marion University works closely with the Pee Dee Education Center to provide resources and services to school districts in the Pee Dee, such as the Pee Dee Math/Science Hub which is housed in the facility. For more information, contact the Pee Dee Education Center at 843-669-3391.

The University offers to the community programs and services in continuing education, technical and professional assistance, industrial and economic development, and artistic and cultural enrichment. Many cultural activities (concerts, lectures, plays, art exhibits, planetarium and observatory shows and film series) are offered free to the public.

The University has an outstanding NCAA Division II athletic program with seven sports each for men and women. The University's school colors are red, white, and blue, and the mascot is a patriot.

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