For nearly 200 Fort Lewis College students, Winter 2015 Commencement marks the end of one journey and the beginning of another. The newest FLC graduates will be honored at a ceremony on Saturday, December 19 in Whalen Gym at 10 a.m.
The Winter Commencement Address will be offered by Dr. Lee Frazer, assistant professor of Adventure Education and winner of the 2015 FLC Alice Admire Outstanding Teaching Award.
The Fort Lewis College Adventure Education program relies heavily on outdoor experiences to teach, and Dr. Frazer has been a part of the program from the very beginning. Through his efforts and those of his colleagues, Adventure Education has grown into a popular major at FLC.
“In my philosophy statement,” Dr. Frazer explains, “I echo the educational thinker, Stephen Brookfield, who said, ‘we teach to change the world,’ and I really believe that.”
According to Dr. Frazer, graduate school, especially at the doctoral level, has a tendency to socialize future college professors into thinking they have to “preach content” above everything else, which can lead to a one-way conversation where a professor simply lectures. His take on teaching is different as he works to engage his students’ natural curiosity and motivators, while keeping an eye on what the latest research says about effective teaching.
“How we teach,” he says, “is as important as what we teach.”
The Winter Commencement ceremony will be live streamed on the Fort Lewis College YouTube channel. More information can be found at www.fortlewis.edu/graduation.