Fort Lewis College’s Current Mission Statement
“Fort Lewis College offers accessible, high quality, baccalaureate liberal arts education to a diverse student population, preparing citizens for the common good in an increasingly complex world.”
Proposed Mission Statement
"Fort Lewis College offers accessible, quality higher education to a diverse student population, preparing them to contribute to the advancements of the community they serve."
The Fort Lewis College mission statement is undergoing changes. Most concerns revolve around the school attempting to remove the term Liberal Arts.
“The main difference of the new proposed mission statement is the removal of the words ‘liberal arts,’”Connor Cafferty, President of the Associated Students of Fort Lewis College said.
This has brought up some controversy around campus.
“The removal of the Liberal Arts did create a lot of discussion amongst the students and faculty,” David Blake, Faculty Senate president, said. “I thought that was a good thing to really make us think, are we a liberal arts institution? And, is that our only driving mission?”
Jordyn Abrams, senator & chair of Public Relations for the ASFLC adds that she feels the proposed mission statement seems very generic.
Why is the mission statement important?
“The mission statement can help steer the attitude and direction of our campus community.” Cafferty said.
Blake said that the mission statement is present to help determine where the college is going to move towards in the future.
“I believe the mission statement is important because it is something for the school to stand by,” Abrams said.
Why Is the Mission Statement Being Revised?
“The mission statement is being revised for a number of reasons,” Cafferty said. “I feel it's been proposed liberal arts be removed because there is question about whether FLC is truly a liberal arts college.”
The committee wanted to create a broader mission statement that still embodies what FLC is about while eliminating areas that are not necessarily what the college is about currently, Blake said.
“We are not just necessary baccalaureate granting institution anymore,” he said.
Student Input on the Mission Statement
“I would say a great deal of what is being considered is the student’s opinion on this, which is what I represent. Therefore, I have a good amount of input,” Cafferty said.
Cafferty believes that the FLC mission statement needs to be distinct and embody the culture which FLC has, Cafferty said.
Personal reactions
Blake is not a huge fan of the proposed mission statement, Blake said. It is too simplistic for representing FLC, Blake said.
“Our mission statement could be a mission statement for any higher education institution,” Blake said, “It doesn’t matter if it was for Fort Lewis college in Durango or some other college in the middle of Ohio.”
FLC is more than just any college, Blake said, FLC is unique and that should reflect in our mission statement.
“We still are a liberal arts college with a diverse student population,” Blake said. “I’d be very surprised if we stuck with this mission statement after the response that we got.”