Mission & Core Values

Our Mission

Students are at the center of Fort Lewis College, where we create inclusive, experiential learning environments that foster innovation, growth, and community engagement.

Our Core Values

Core Value Domain Core Value Statements

Academic Excellence
  • Honor our liberal arts roots by promoting, supporting, and inspiring students to action through interdisciplinary studies and experiential learning
  • Respond to disparities in health, wellness, education, and economic outcomes by addressing moral, historical, and ethical aspects of these issues
  • Provide a personalized education through work with high-quality faculty and staff  
  • Foster students’ abilities to confront scientific, social, and environmental challenges through transferable skills in critical thinking, communication, and technical knowledge
Student-Centered Approach
  • Value a diversity of cultures and perspectives as a source of intellectual strength and strive to create an inclusive, equitable environment in which students flourish and become resilient
  • Challenge each other to think critically, communicate effectively, and solve complex problems  
  • Create an engaging, supportive, and inclusive environment through a culture of caring and personalization  
  • Provide accessible higher education to students from a wide variety of backgrounds

Community Engagement
  • Honor our historic commitment to Native American and Alaska Native education and work towards reconciling our complicated past
  • Connect faculty, staff, and student expertise to a range of community priorities and interests  
  • Build programs that respond to and serve regional and global needs  
  • Collaborate across settings to support economic and workforce development
  • Learn from and engage in our diverse natural and cultural environments