Franz, George William, 1942-

George W. Franz was born in 1942. He received his bachelor's degree from Muhlenberg College in 1964, and his master's degree (1965) and doctoral degree (1974) from Rutgers University. He worked at the Pennsylvania State University Brandywine Campus (formerly known as Pennsylvania State University Delaware County Campus) as a professor of history and American studies from 1968 to 1997 and as Director of Academic Affairs from 1997-2007. Franz was editor of the papers of Martin Van Buren and author of Paxton: A Study Of Community Structure And Mobility In The Colonial Pennsylvania Backcountry (1989), in addition to publishing many articles and reviews in scholarly journals. He was an active member of the Pennsylvania Historical Association. Franz chaired the Brandywine Campus Faculty Senate from 1969 to 1971 and University Faculty Senate from 1980 to 1981. As Director of Academic Affairs for Brandywine, he prioritized the recruitment of top-quality faculty and helped launch five degree programs: Business, Human Development and Family Studies, Information Science and Technology, Corporate Communication and Organizational Leadership. Franz was a member of the Phi Alpha Theta and Pi Delta Epsilon honorary fraternities. He received the George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 1990, the Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award in 1993, the McKay-Donkin Award (for contributions to the welfare of the faculty) in 1994, and the Madlyn Hanes Prize (for outstanding contribution to Penn State Brandywine) in 2004. Upon his retirement with emeritus status in 2007, the Brandywine campus created the George W. Franz Advising and Mentoring Award in his honor.