For 60 years, Durango and Fort Lewis College have been tied together in a partnership that is a benefit to both town and school. Durango and FLC have grown up together, you might say.
I’m struck by how FLC has changed as an institution over the years, beyond just the physical move from Hesperus to Durango in 1956. When Fort Lewis A&M, a junior college, made the move to the mesa above Durango (a town of less than 10,000), the total student enrollment was 384. Today, Fort Lewis College, the four-year school, serves nearly 10 times more students.
I wonder if Fort Lewis A&M President Charles Dale Rea looked out over the College’s new home in Durango and imagined what was to come. I believe if he saw Fort Lewis College and Durango today, he would be amazed.
I find myself looking to the future and wondering what awaits us just over the horizon. Whatever the future holds for Durango and Fort Lewis College, we will continue to grow together, just as we have for the last 60 years.
Sincerely,
Dene Thomas
President, Fort Lewis College