Community Services

The Office of Community Services has been established to offer technical assistance to a five-county area surrounding Fort Lewis College (Archuleta, La Plata, San Juan, Montezuma, and Dolores). The Office has three purposes: to increase the opportunities for students and faculty to actively participate in public service projects in this region; to assist local communities with significant policy issues having to do with human service programs, natural resource management, community and economic development; and to ensure an educational partnership between students, faculty, and citizens by establishing a community service learning process supported by Fort Lewis College curriculum resources. The Office of Community Services contributes to the accomplishment of the College’s mission in regard to public service by offering students an opportunity to gain valuable experience in direct community involvement.

The Office of Community Services has developed research activities in the areas of community studies, ethnography, and public policy analysis. Projects have been established that offer students and faculty a variety of opportunities to conduct applied research on public interest issues, concerning community and social development.

Each public service project is initiated by a community request; linkages to the community are established through a local task force of appointed leaders. Students and faculty provide assistance to the community task force in setting its goals, collecting needed research data, and identifying alternative policy, planning, and physical design solutions. Each project establishes a problem-oriented learning process for both the students and the community, guided by Office of Community Services staff and Fort Lewis College faculty members.

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