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research dossier

FRANKLIN SWITZERLAND INC

NEW YORK, NY · EIN 237075717 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE B42Z · Education · Large ($10M-$50M) · fus.edu
revenue
$26.0M
expenses
$25.4M
net assets
$13.0M
employees
7
program ratio
57%
mission · from form 990

FRANKLIN SWITZERLAND, INC. IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION WHOSE OBJECTIVE IS TO PROVIDE AN EDUCATION ON AN INTERNATIONAL BASIS.

profile · synthesized from sources

Franklin Switzerland is a private, nonprofit university providing international education to a global student body. Based in Switzerland with U.S. accreditation, it offers undergraduate and graduate programs emphasizing academic travel, cross-cultural learning, and sustainability. The institution integrates quality management and student-centered practices across its operations and academic offerings.

named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Academic Travel Program
Integrated into full-time tuition for European travel; includes mandatory academic travel courses with specific add/drop and refund policies.
Quality Management System
Institutional framework based on the EFQM-Hamdan Education Model to ensure academic and operational excellence, continuous improvement, and stakeholder engagement.
Sustainability Strategy
University-wide initiative structured around environmental, social, economic, and academic sustainability pillars to reduce ecological footprint and promote responsible leadership.
activities · 7 groups

What they do

  • Organizational Sustainability Management 2 activities
    • Manages student financial records and billing
      Handles all aspects of student financial accounts, including accurate billing for tuition, fees, and other charges, and provides customer service support for payment plans and financial inquiries.
    • Operates campus sustainability programs
      Runs the Green Office team composed of scholars, interns, and assistants to advance sustainability initiatives; empowers departments to integrate sustainable practices into daily operations and incorporates sustainability into academic programming and research.
  • Program Evaluation and Impact Research 1 activity
    • Conducts institutional quality assurance and evaluation
      Implements the EFQM-Hamdan Education Model for quality assurance, conducts regular evaluations aligned with the 2030 Strategic Plan and dual accreditation standards in Switzerland and the U.S., collects stakeholder feedback via surveys, meetings, and benchmarking, and performs annual external financial audits for regulatory compliance.
  • Research and Scholarly Fellowship Support 1 activity
    • Conducts interdisciplinary faculty research
      Supports and conducts academic research across global challenges in social sciences, liberal arts, education, health, and innovation through faculty-led projects.
  • Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Initiatives 1 activity
    • Implements campus environmental efficiency projects
      Reduces greenhouse gas emissions by replacing fossil fuel-powered landscaping equipment with electric alternatives and upgrading lighting systems; replaced approximately 145 bulbs with energy-efficient versions, reducing carbon emissions by about 2.02 kg CO₂ per bulb during the 2023–2024 ACT Program.
  • Specialized Research Library Access 1 activity
    • Operates academic library and learning resources
      Provides access to approximately 36,000 print volumes, periodicals, multimedia materials, and electronic resources including EBSCO, JSTOR, and extensive ebook collections. Operates the David R. Grace Library as a quiet study space on Main Campus and the Fowler Learning Commons on North Campus, which includes reference materials, foreign language collections, science/math books, computers, tutoring areas, and quiet rooms.
  • Higher Education Degree Programs 1 activity
    • Provides international higher education
      Offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs on an international basis, including launching its first master's degree program in 2010. The institution operates under Swiss higher education regulations and maintains campuses in Sorengo (established 1986) and North Campus (expanded 2006).
  • Uncategorized 2 activities
    • Funds institutional development through external grants
      Receives and utilizes grant funding, such as a $1.25 million award from the KHR McNeely Family Foundation, to support organizational growth and capacity-building initiatives.
    • Provides student health services and insurance management
      Offers on-campus health and wellness appointments, manages student medications, provides local medical referrals, and ensures compliance with Swiss health regulations. Maintains a contract with a Swiss insurer to cover students attending for one semester or more, processes required TI 6.3A forms upon arrival, pays medical bills upfront, and charges student accounts accordingly.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$26.05M
Contributions & grants$872K3%
Program service revenue$24.28M93%
Investment income$441K2%
Other revenue$454K
expenses
Total expenses$25.39M
Program expenses57%
Admin / overhead41%
Fundraising2%
Salaries & benefits$9.00M
Grants paid out$6.99M
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$64.02M
Cash$6.68M
Investments$0
Liabilities$51.05M
Net assets$12.97M
Liquid reserves3.2 mo
5 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue -5.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
totals 0 $1.17M
board members · 17
  • AUSTIN TOMLINSON — Trustee
  • CABELL GOOLSBY WEST — Trustee
  • CHRISTOPH EBELL — Trustee
  • CHRISTOPHER SCHOLZ — Trustee
  • DEIRDRE KINNEY-BRENNAN — Trustee
  • DENISE H ALFELD — Trustee
  • JAY TUCKER — Trustee
  • JENNIFER H BERG — Trustee
  • JOE SARNO — Trustee
  • KEVIN W MCNEELY — Trustee
  • LAURENT BELET — Trustee
  • LUCIUS L FOWLER — Trustee
  • LUSYD E DOOLITTLE — Trustee
  • PASCAL F TONE — Trustee
  • PAUL C LOWERRE — Chairman
  • PHILIP RENAUD — Trustee
  • STANLEY M ELLIS — Trustee
relationships · 13

Who they work with

  • Coordinator of Student Health Insurance and Administrative Services Partner — Staff member responsible for processing insurance forms and assisting students with health insurance enrollment and access to care.
  • EBSCO Partner — Provider of electronic resources, digital indexes, full-text databases, and a large ebook collection accessed by the Franklin Library.
  • EFQM Partner — Adapts the EFQM-Hamdan Education Model for quality assurance in higher education.
  • Franklin University Switzerland Government — Primary institution implementing and funding the ACT Program through its Green Office to reduce campus-generated carbon emissions.
  • Global Partnerships Partner — Cultivates partnerships with organizations and academic institutions to diversify the student body and expand global impact.
  • JSTOR Partner — Provider of electronic resources and full-text databases accessed by the Franklin Library.
  • KHR McNeely Family Foundation Funder — Provided a $1.25 million grant to support Franklin Switzerland's future development.
  • Middle States Commission on Higher Education Government — Accrediting body for Franklin in the United States
  • Municipality of Sorengo Partner — Collaborates with Franklin Switzerland on community initiatives.
  • Office of Financial Aid Partner — Collaborates to integrate financial aid, scholarships, and grants into student billing.
  • Swiss University Conference Government — Swiss accrediting body that granted institutional accreditation to Franklin
  • Swiss government Government — References Swiss government regulations on medication importation and authorizations.
  • UNESCO Network — Member of UNESCO's Global Education Pact network, as indicated by the GEP label.
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Cross-Cultural Experiential Learning
    methodology: international-experiential-education
    By providing international educational experiences, the institution strengthens students’ cross-cultural competencies and global relationships, because direct immersion in diverse contexts fosters deeper understanding and leadership capacity in global settings.
  • Integrated Sustainability Framework
    methodology: integrated_sustainability
    By embedding sustainability across curriculum, research, operations, and community life, the institution cultivates a holistic culture of environmental and social responsibility, because systemic integration ensures that sustainable practices become institutional norms rather than isolated initiatives.
  • Student-Staff Collaborative Model
    methodology: student-staff collaboration
    By integrating students and staff into shared sustainability teams with defined functional roles, the institution drives operational change and institutional accountability, because collaborative ownership increases engagement, innovation, and implementation fidelity across campus operations.