Lewis & Clark College Lewis & Clark College is a private college located in Portland , Oregon . It has an undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences , a School of Law , and a Graduate School of Education and Counseling . Lewis & Clark is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges with athletic programs competing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ' s Division III Northwest Conference . Just under 2 , 000 students attend the undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences , with a student body from more than 50 countries across six continents as well as most U . S . states . The School of Law is best known for its environmental law program , while the Graduate School of Education & Counseling is active in community engagement and social justice . Originally chartered as the Albany Collegiate Institute in 1867 in the town of Albany , the school moved to the Portland campus in 1938 and in 1942 adopted the name Lewis & Clark College after the Lewis and Clark Expedition . Today , the three schools and their supporting offices occupy a campus of 137 acres ( 554 , 000 m² ) , centered on the M . Lloyd Frank Estate on Palatine Hill in the Collins View neighborhood of Southwest Portland . History . Like many modern universities , the institution that would eventually become Lewis & Clark was initially intended to provide secondary as well as higher education for a specific religious community , in this case Presbyterian pioneers in Oregon ' s Willamette Valley . To this end the Presbyterian church incorporated Albany Academy in 1858 , making Lewis & Clark one of four Oregon colleges with foundations predating Oregon ' s statehood ( along with Willamette University , Pacific University , and Linfield College ) . Within a decade of its founding , Albany Academy began to focus more exclusively on higher education , changing its official name to the Albany Collegiate Institution in 1866 . Lewis & Clark ' s official founding date comes from the current charter , which has been legally valid since the Presbyterian church reincorporated the Albany Collegiate Institution as Albany College in 1867 . Unlike most Oregon colleges of the pioneer - era , the college has been coeducational since the first class , which graduated in 1873 . The early campus of in Albany was situated on land donated by the Monteith family . In 1892 , the original school building was enlarged , and in 1925 the school relocated south of Albany where it remained until 1937 . Albany College established a junior college to the north in Portland in 1934 , with the entire school moving to Portland in 1939 . The campus grounds later became home to the federal government ' s Albany Research Center . In 1942 the college trustees acquired the Lloyd Frank ( of the historic Portland department store Meier & Frank ) “ Fir Acres ” estate in southwest Portland , and the school name was changed to Lewis & Clark College . The original school mascot , the Pirates , was changed to the Pioneers in 1946 . Academics . The three schools of the college include the College of Arts and Sciences ( CAS ) , the Law School , and the Graduate School of Education and Counseling . CAS departments include Art , East Asian Studies , English , Foreign Languages and Literatures ( French , Chinese , German , Greek , Spanish , Latin , Russian , and Japanese ) , History , Music , Philosophy , Religious Studies , Theatre , Biology , Chemistry , Computer Science , Mathematics , Environmental Studies , Physics , Communication , Economics , Classical Studies , Gender Studies , International Affairs , Latin American Studies , Political Science , Psychology , Sociology and Anthropology , and Academic English Studies . Lewis & Clark has nationally regarded programs in Biology , International Affairs , Psychology , Foreign Languages and Environmental Studies . The college has held two worldwide symphonic festivals in the past five years with professional - level performances in Dublin and the Greek islands . Lewis & Clark is also known for its active and diverse overseas study program . The college offers approximately 36 programs in various countries , and since the 1960s , more than 60 % of all Lewis & Clark undergraduates have studied abroad . For a small liberal arts college , Lewis & Clark ' s overseas offerings are impressive in both breadth and scope ; there are , for example seven discrete programs in Spanish - speaking countries . Lewis & Clark is also one of the few U . S . institutions with an overseas program in Cuba . This international component is integrated into the college ' s academics , especially in departments such as International Affairs and Foreign Languages , and is also part of Lewis & Clark College ' s identity and reputation as an international institution . Admissions Profile . For the class of 2015 ( enrolled fall 2011 ) , Lewis & Clark received 5 , 950 applications , accepted 3 , 928 ( 66 . 0 % ) and enrolled 606 ( 15 . 4 % of those accepted ) . In terms of class rank , 40 % of enrolled freshmen were in the top tenth of their high school classes , and 77 % were in the top quarter . The middle 50 % range of SAT scores for the enrolled freshmen was 610 - 710 for critical reading , 580 - 670 for math , and 590 - 680 for writing , while the ACT Composite range was 27 – 30 . The average high school Grade Point Average ( GPA ) of enrolled freshmen was 3 . 71 . Rankings . The 2013 annual ranking of " U . S . News & World Report " categorizes Lewis & Clark as ' more selective ' and ranks it the 70th best liberal arts college in the nation . " Forbes " in 2012 rated it 204th in its America ' s Top Colleges ranking , which includes military academies , national universities , and liberal arts colleges . " Kiplinger ' s Personal Finance " placed it 68th in its 2012 ranking of best value liberal arts colleges in the United States . Campus . Campus overview . Lewis & Clark ' s forested campus sits atop Palatine Hill in the Collins View neighborhood of Portland , Oregon , and is contiguous with the 645 acre ( 2 . 61 km2 ) Tryon Creek State Natural Area . Campus buildings include an award - winning environmentally sustainable academic building , as well as notable historic architecture such as the Frank Manor House ( designed by Herman Brookman ) and Rogers Hall ( formerly Our Lady of Angels convent of The Sisters of St . Francis ) . Due in large part to the college ' s natural environment , Lewis & Clark was named one of America ' s top ten " Most Beautiful Campuses " by the Princeton Review , as well as an independent architecture blog . Residence halls . All students are required to live on campus for the first two years , unless already a Portland resident . Residence halls include SOA ( Stewart - Odell - Akin ) , Forest , Hartzfeld , Platt - Howard , Copeland and also include East , Roberts , and West , the on - campus apartments . Several of the student residence halls have themes . Stewart is " Substance Free / Wellness " , providing a home for those who wish to live in a drug and alcohol - free environment . Akin is known as the " Multicultural Dorm " , hosting a majority of students from outside of the United States as well as some U . S . students with international experience . Platt - Howard : Platt West houses the Platteau student - run arts center , and the " Visual and Performing Arts " ( or VAPA ) and Howard has an " Outdoor Floor " . Spruce , in the Forest complex , offers all - female housing . Juniper , also in Forest , is the " Pioneers in Environmental Action and Service " ( PEAS ) Floor , more generally known as the " green " floor . Hartzfeld requires sophomore standing or higher to live in . East Hall , Roberts Hall and West Hall are a series of on - campus apartments completed in 2003 and require junior class standing or higher to live in . Many of the apartments have language themes , with residents grouped into a single apartment based on a language , including French , Spanish , German , Russian , Chinese , and Japanese . Lewis & Clark College residence halls are co - ed . While individual rooms generally house one gender , students may opt otherwise under the college ' s gender neutral housing policy . Student life . Sustainability . Sustainability is an important issue for many students , faculty , and college administrators . Currently , wind power provides 100 % of the college ' s total electricity , and LEED - " certified " level must be met for all of the college ' s projects . Reuters recently listed Lewis & Clark as one of the ten best universities in the United States for studying cleantech . Athletics . Lewis & Clark maintains 9 male and 10 female varsity sports teams , and athletic facilities including Pamplin Sports Center and Griswold Stadium . Lewis & Clark athletic teams are called the Pioneers , and team colors are orange and black . The Pioneers compete mainly in the Northwest Conference against eight other NCAA Division III institutions in the Pacific Northwest . One in five undergraduates are officially designated student athletes . Recent accomplishments in varsity athletics include the men ' s rowing team winning its conference , women ' s swim team winning third in conference , and men ' s and women ' s basketball both earning third in conference . In the 2011 season , the women ' s cross - country team placed seventh at West regionals , with the men ' s team placing 13th . The 2011 - 2012 men ' s basketball team lost in the NWC semifinals putting them in 4th place in the conference . Additionally , the women ' s team of that same year placed second in the NWC and made an appearance in the NCAA DIII National tournament . A large number of smaller club and intramural sports such as Ultimate Frisbee , and Boffing enjoy broad participation . Lewis & Clark students have invented several intramural competitive sports , including Ninja and Wolvetch , which are popular at Lewis & Clark but seldom played elsewhere . While some varsity athletic events are well attended , there has long been tension between varsity athletes and non - athletes regarding perceived social and cultural differences , as well as the substantial financial support varsity sports teams enjoy . Transportation . Throughout the year the college operates a shuttle bus between campus and Pioneer Square in downtown Portland , the Pioneer Express ( also referred to as the " Pio Express " ) . During winter months there is also a daily shuttle to Mount Hood Meadows Ski Resort . TriMet line 39 operates between the college and the Hillsdale neighborhood where students can transfer to buses to downtown Portland . First year students are not permitted to have cars on campus .