Francis Marion University

The Francis Marion University campus is located close to Florence, South Carolina, and it is a public institution of higher education. It was named after the American Revolutionary War general of the same name who served under Francis Marion.

The University of South Carolina established a freshman college in a room in the basement of the Florence County Library in 1957, marking the beginning of the University of South Carolina. A number of years later, in 1961, the University of South Carolina at Florence was established on land that had been donated by the Wallace family and was located six miles to the east of Florence, South Carolina. Encouraged by these victories, a group of residents from the Florence area proceeded to advocate for the development of a four-year university in Florence. Their goal was to provide residents of that region with improved access to higher education. The already established USC–F served as a natural starting point for the establishment of a new institution. An legislation founding Francis Marion College was finally signed into law by the state's governor, Robert E. McNair, on July 1, 1970, after several years of campaigning by supporters of the college. In its first year of operation, the recently established Francis Marion College welcomed 907 students from 23 of South Carolina's 46 counties.

Francis Marion College was elevated to the rank of a university in 1992, at which time the college officially changed its name to Francis Marion University. Approximately 4,000 students are enrolled at Francis Marion University at the present time. Although FMU enrols students from all over the country and even the world, the institution has not strayed from its primary objective, which is to provide residents of the Pee Dee Region and the state of South Carolina with educational opportunities. 95 percent of the student body is comprised of residents of the state in which the university is located. Pee Dee County is home to slightly more than half of FMU's student body.

One of the thirteen public institutions in South Carolina is named Francis Marion. Its academic divisions are divided into four schools (the School of Business, the School of Education, the School of Health Sciences, and the College of Liberal Arts) in addition to the College of Liberal Arts.

In 1974, the Slave Houses, which are part of Gregg Plantation and can be seen on the campus of FMU, were included on the National Register of Historic Places.