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Fort
Lewis College is in the midst of important changes to provide a higher level of quality learning to students. The following are some of the major initiatives that either are directly from the Office of the President, or are coordinated by the major divisions of the College:
Admissions Selectivity:
During the 2004-2005 academic year, Fort Lewis College proposed to the General Assembly of Colorado a significant change to its admissions requirements for first-time freshmen. At that time of the proposal, Fort Lewis College was defined by the legislature for admissions purposes as ‘moderately selective’; the same admissions characteristics as regional colleges such as Mesa State, Western State, and Adams State. The General Assembly unanimously approved, and Governor Owens signed a bill on May 12, 2005 to change the admissions designation for Fort Lewis College to ‘selective’; thus placing the institution in the same admissions category as The University of Colorado and Colorado State University. This is a significant development in acknowledging our national reputation as a leader in liberal arts education.
Provost Roderick will now work with the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (CCHE) to develop the timetable for implementation of the new admissions standards.
Strategic Planning:
Along with the revision of our vision and mission statements (see below), the President’s Office is initiating a new strategic plan for Fort Lewis College for the 2006-2011 period. The plan details four critical directions to promote academic excellence, community involvement, increasing funds from public and private sources, and improving the work environment. During the Fall, the draft plan went through a series of town-hall meetings, along with discussions with the community to refine the document. The plan also has a set of quantitatively-based measures to mark progress toward goals for the four strategic directions. The final plan will be submitted to the Board of Trustees for their December 2005 meeting.
Revision of Vision, Mission and Values Statements:
A task force chaired by Dr. Richard Sax, Dean of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences is currently revising the existing mission statement of the College, and also composing a vision statement and a statement of core values. A draft of their documents is available on the Mission/Vision/Core Values page of the President's web site. The goal of the task force is to have the statements ready for Board of Trustees approval during the Fall 2005 semester, and concurrently with the Strategic Plan.
Climate Surveys:
We have completed surveys of faculty and staff with regard to their impressions of the work environment. Issues raised by the surveys have been given more discussion through “Speak Your Mind” focus group sessions held during the 2004-2005 academic year. The results of the surveys and focus-group sessions have been incorporated in our self-study materials for reaffirmation of accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission. In addition, the concerns have become a major set of action items for resolution as part of Direction Four within our Fort Lewis College Strategic Plan for 2006-2011 (see Strategic Planning above).
Native American Reforms:
The President’s Office initiated a series of reforms at Fort Lewis College during the 2004-2005 academic year to improve the learning conditions for Native Americans. These reforms include a much more detailed orientation for faculty and staff with regard to cross-cultural issues, a new Presidential Lecture Series aligned with Colorado’s Native American Heritage month (November), revised orientations on Federal privacy law and student confidentiality, and inclusion of Native American students on relevant college committees. These reforms will be continued during the 2005-2006 academic year. During the 2004-2005 academic year, the President’s Office requested the preparation of a briefing paper concerning the history and legal context of the Fort Lewis College tuition waiver program for Native Americans.
Performance Contract:
On May 9, 2005 the Board of Trustees approved the performance contract. This signed performance contract with the Colorado Commission of Higher Education (CCHE) allows Fort Lewis College to receive College Opportunity Funds for our students and frees the College from some of the past state mandatory reporting. In return, the State of Colorado receives commitments from Fort Lewis College for goals with regard to academic performance (e.g., retention and graduation rates) and business efficiencies, among other items.
View the Fort Lewis College performance contract.
Faculty Housing:
A critical issue facing Fort Lewis College’s ability to recruit and retain the finest faculty from across the nation is the affordability of housing in Durango. The College is actively examining options for designing and building a faculty housing complex on our campus. The goal is to provide attractive and functional housing at a price point affordable to junior faculty. Vice President Steve Schwartz is conducting the project. We hope to have a clear understanding of all the issues related to this critical project during the 2005-2006 academic year.
Civic Engagement Task Force:
A new task force out of the President’s Office was established during the 2004-2005 academic year. This Civic Engagement Task Force has as its charge the examination of how the College could implement civic engagement as a graduate requirement. The task force is composed of faculty, staff, and students. A task force report is anticipated on
April 1, 2006.
President’s Advisory Council on the Environment (PACEA):
This is a standing committee of the President. Composed of faculty, staff and students, PACEA examines issues of campus environmental sustainability.
Communication
A major goal of the President’s Office is to have ease of access and improve communication with all constituencies. The President is currently communicating through the following mechanisms:
- Email: either directly (bartel_b@fortlewis.edu), or through the Office of the President contact web page.
- Open Door: the President reserves every Thursday from 8:30-10am when he is in Durango for an open door visitation period. All campus or community members are welcome.
- Town Hall meetings for faculty: The President will continue to host a series of ‘town hall’ meetings throughout the academic year on general topics and specific ones (e.g., performance contract, selectivity). The place and time will be listed on this web site.
- Rotation to all departments: During the fall semester the President engages in conversation with every academic and non-academic department at the College. These small group meetings are critical for an understanding of issues within disciplines and also those important to the entire campus community..
- Dept. chair meetings: At least once per semester the President meets with the chairs of the College departments.
- Community Speeches: The time and place for the President’s speeches to various community organizations will be posted at this web site.
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