While a large percentage of our students should continue to come from Colorado, the College will encourage enrollment of students from other regions and from abroad in order to provide a diversified student body. Situated at an historical and cultural confluence in the American Southwest, the College is dedicated to undergraduate education that integrates the traditionally separate disciplines of the liberal arts and professional schools. The academic program is designed to help students develop an informed and critical capacity to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world. Because individuals define themselves through what they do, the course of study encourages students to cultivate a sense of self through the knowledge, abilities, and values they will carry to a lifetime of meaningful work. Through general education students confront issues about life and work in a complex global and technical culture.
Free electives encourage exploration of academic areas outside the major.
The College promotes life-long learning for faculty and students alike. In 1962, about 720 students were enrolled at the College. In 1999-00, enrollment was 4,357. The College continues to maintain the personal, quality educational experience that only a small undergraduate school like Fort Lewis can provide. Two years later, the military post moved to Hesperus, Colorado, a location more central to Indian settlements and pioneer communities.