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Nearly 180 research projects students shared through live presentations, posters, and videos during the Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium.

In 2022, Fort Lewis College’s premier Native American & Indigenous Studies program received a critical academic boost.

Many students, staff, and faculty noticed the vibrant poster reminding the FLC community of Native American Heritage Month, a celebration of the cultural impact of Indigenous peoples. The poster’s design is the work of V. Barney, a senior studying Communication Design and Sports Administration.

Fort Lewis College honored its Indigenous students, staff, and faculty on Indigenous Peoples' Day on October 10, 2022.

When Danielle Joe (Accounting, ’20) arrived at Fort Lewis College with her young son, Alexander, the single mother was determined to get her degree. A member of the Navajo Nation, Joe wanted to join her family’s thriving mercantile legacy on the largest Indian reservation in the U.S. But first, she needed to build the skills. 

Digging up traditional Indigenous recipes for a new cookbook, Hózhó Meals

President Begaye and FLC President Tom Stritikus signed an agreement that provides $2,500 per student, per term. The agreement also establishes a partnership between FLC and the Office of Navajo Nation Scholarship and Financial Assistance (ONNSFA), which will distribute and monitor the funds.

For many Native students, a career in the STEM fields – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – can often seem impossibly out of reach. That's where the American Indian Science & Engineering Society comes in.

"You can't tell the American story without the indigenous story," says Jenni Monet (English, '11). But as a Native journalist, she also knows just how hard that task can be. Monet shared her insights and experiences with students and staff when she visited campus in September.

Beyond just the opportunity to share knowledge with other institutions, Fort Lewis College came away from the summit with one of 11 $10,000 grants, thanks to the Lumina Foundation. The funding will go toward FLC initiatives designed to help Native Americans and Alaska Natives find educational success.

As a Native American-Serving, Nontribal Institution with a significant Latinx population and advanced teaching and research facilities housed within a new $35 million building, Fort Lewis College is well suited to help the National Science Foundation reach its research and diversity goals.

Beginning in July, incoming FLC students will have four Peak Experiences opportunities to choose from, each with a different focus. Food and lodging are included in the cost of the program and financial assistance is available for those who qualify. For more information, visit .

Alumna Cheryl Frost was recently elected to the Southern Ute Tribal Council with an ingenious – and unique – campaign platform: She ran on no platform at all. “I know the kind of person that I am,” Frost (English, ’95) says. “I don’t make promises to people that I can’t keep. I don’t make deals with people. I’m not going to put myself in an ethical quandary before I’m even elected. That’s why I chose no platform.”

The Mellon Foundation grant will fund FLC’s Literacies, Inclusion, and Transit (LIT) program. The program will encourage opportunities for students to see the world through new lenses and promote collaboration with people of different beliefs and backgrounds.

For 2018, the Hozhoni Days Powwow will be April 13-14. The Grand Entry will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, preceded by the Gourd Dance at 5 p.m. On Saturday, there will be a Gourd Dance at 11 a.m. followed by Grand Entry at 1 p.m. A second Gourd Dance will take place at 5 p.m., with a second Grand Entry at 7 p.m.

She is replacing retiring Native American Center Director Yvonne Bilinski. She’ll also oversee the College’s Diversity Collaborative, which includes the Native American Center, El Centro de Muchos Colores, and the Office of Diversity Programming.

The Powwow is one of the largest and longest-running Fort Lewis College traditions. This year’s Powwow honors the veterans of all conflicts.

In the Chronicle article “Highest Representation of Racial and Ethnic Groups at Liberal-Arts Colleges, Fall 2015,” Fort Lewis College was ranked first among liberal arts institutions for percentage of Native American students.

FLC and Durango have joined a growing number of places and groups that have adopted the re-designation of Columbus Day as Indigenous Peoples Day. On October 10, 2016, FLC students, faculty, staff, and community members came together to honor this historic event.

On the second Monday in October, Fort Lewis College will celebrate not Christopher Columbus, but those residents who were already at home in the so-called New World when the Genoan explorer, sailing under the Spanish flag, stumbled ashore in 1492.