DURANGO, Colo.— About 100 people gathered around the Fort Lewis College Clocktower bowing their heads as Southern Ute Elders Elberta Thompson and Nathan Strong Elk take turns blessing attendees ahead of this year’s Solidarity Walk.  Strong Elk followed the blessings with a smudging ceremony, using traditional medicinal plants to cleanse those attending. The ceremony...

The Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe collectively own nearly half the 123,500-acre-feet of water sitting in Lake Nighthorse, and they have no way to access it.

Fort Lewis students harvest corn at the Old Fort in Hesperus, Colorado during the Blue Corn Harvest Ceremony. Harvested corn will be available for free for all FLC students at the Grub Hub.

The weeklong celebration will include the second Tribal Water Media Showcase, a collaborative effort with KSUT and Rocky Mountain PBS that highlights media projects from FLC program participants.

Manuelito ‘Manny’ Wheeler attended the screening of the Navajo-dubbed Star Wars: A New Hope (Sǫʼtah Anaaʼ: Siih Náhásdlįį), a project he led in 2012. The event marked the closing of the Center of Southwest Studies popular exhibit “The Return of the Force, which celebrated the many cultural, philosophical, and mythological connections between Indigeneity and the Star Wars...

Fort Lewis College enrollment jumps nearly 3.5%. The increase came despite challenges with a federal student aid form, and other complications. (The Durango Sentinel, The Journal)

FLC reported increases in continuing, undergraduate, graduate, and dual enrollment.

FLC and DIHFS officials hope this visit will be the first in a series of regular, quarterly stops. 

FLC provides students with comfortable dorms surrounded by the beauty of the San Juan Mountains. The dorms are designed to create a strong sense of community and easy access to the outdoors. (University Magazine)

Thirty years ago, a group of Fort Lewis College students, donning donated T-shirts, made their debut at the won the inaugural National Collegiate Mountain Bike Championships. Unknowingly, the newly created Fort Lewis College Cycling Team ignited a cycling legacy that would propel the school to national prominence.

After 18 years at FLC, Dupont is leaving to become the CEO of the Durango Chamber of Commerce. He leaves behind a legacy based on teamwork and collaboration.

Colorado cuenta con bastantes recursos para asegurar que los estudiantes no paguen el costo completo de ir a la universidad. Algunos programas ofrecen la opción de estudiar gratis. En FLC, estudiantes de familias que ganan menos de $70,000 al año pueden estudiar sin pagar matrícula (tuition). (Chalkbeat)

Manny Wheeler's idea for the project came from speaking with his wife, a language teacher, about the future of the Navajo language and its preservation. The film will be screened on Sept. 26. (Durango Herald)  

FLC is among many community colleges and universities in Colorado providing food assistance to students at a time when food costs have spiked and more students are believed to be experiencing hunger. (Chalkbeat)

Fort Lewis College has partnered with the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus to establish a new nursing training facility on its campus. U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper toured the facility on Aug. 29, highlighting the importance of local educational opportunities in retaining healthcare professionals in rural areas. (Local News Network)