Schools and Departments
Annual Impact report 2023-24

Katz School of Business: Transforming Business Education

This year, Fort Lewis College received its largest gift ever—a generous $10.4 million pledge from esteemed local entrepreneurs and philanthropists Marc and Jane Katz. In recognition, the School of Business Administration has been named the Katz School of Business. This transformative gift will fund scholarships, establish a Faculty & Student Development Fund for professional growth, and create a Business Learning-in-Action Fund to enhance students' career skills. Additionally, a Community Engagement Fund will support entrepreneurial and small business development in the Durango and Four Corners region.

Learn more about the Katz family's historic donation and its impact on FLC

Johnson Scholarship Foundation Fellows

The Johnson Scholarship Foundation has been pivotal in supporting Native American Business students at FLC. Their dollar-for-dollar matching program, up to $1 million, amplifies every donation, providing vital financial aid that empowers Native American students to pursue business degrees and become leaders in their communities, promoting economic development in Indigenous areas.

FLC Student Marketing Agency

The FLC Student Marketing Agency, one of the initiatives supported by a $10.4 million gift from Marc and Jane Katz, offers students hands-on marketing experience while providing local businesses and nonprofits with expert services. Housed in the Center for Innovation and with significantly increased donor funding, the agency expanded its capacity to work with five local organizations last year. Students, guided by faculty, apply their classroom knowledge to real-world challenges, gaining tangible portfolio assets and professional experience. 

I got tangible assets for my portfolio. It's so cool to learn about this in class and then see it in practice in real life."

Wraygen Shouldis
Business Administration, '24

School of Education

Dean Innovation Endowment for Education

Thanks to an anonymous retired K-12 education administrator, the School of Education has established its first-ever dean’s endowment. This versatile fund will address the School’s most promising priorities and opportunities, supporting a range of needs, including equipment, supplies, and support for students, staff, and faculty. It will also fund programing, professional development, travel, honoraria, and more. The planned gift commitment will leave a lasting impact on FLC’s School of Education and the field of teaching.

Bonnie J. Albright Teacher Education Endowed Scholarship

John Albright’s bequest has significantly supported the Bonnie J. Albright Teacher Education Endowed Scholarship. This substantial planned gift will benefit full-time students in the School of Education pursuing licenses in K-12/Secondary, Elementary, and Early Education. This bequest ensures lasting support for future generations of teachers, helping them achieve their educational goals and make a difference in the lives of their students.

Sandra Mapel Student Teacher Scholarship

Thanks to a generous donation from Don and Sandra Mapel, students majoring in Education who have been accepted as candidates for student teaching in K-12 classrooms will continue to receive essential financial support. The Sandra Mapel Student Teacher Scholarship is available to eligible undergraduate and graduate students and provides crucial financial assistance during their student teaching placements. The Mapels have been long-standing supporters of FLC’s future teachers, demonstrating their steadfast commitment to the School of Education.

School of Arts & Sciences

Art & Design Excellence Endowment

Thanks to the generosity of alumna Ashley French (Business, ‘06) and the Schnitzer-Novack Foundation, the Art & Design Excellence Endowment has been established at Fort Lewis College. This endowment provides flexible funding to support students and faculty in the Art & Design and Art Gallery programs. The funding enhances opportunities for professional development, travel, career services, and essential equipment and supplies, ensuring the program remains a vibrant and innovative part of FLC. 

Field School in Clinical and Forensic Psychology 

Supported by donations to the Psychology Department through the FLC Foundation and led by Dr. Brian Burke, Professor of Psychology, the Field School in Clinical and Forensic Psychology offers students an intensive five-week experience working with mental health professionals at an outpatient psychology clinic serving a forensic population. Students gain hands-on experience in patient interviews, diagnostic techniques, treatment planning, and psychotherapy in individual and group settings. Thanks to an anonymous donor, students will pay tuition this year but will not be charged course fees for the 2025 Field School, making this unique educational opportunity even more accessible.

Village Aid Project

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the Village Aid Project (VAP) has doubled its capacity this year by establishing the VAP Foundation fund for solar initiatives. Donor support has expanded our reach to new projects in Zambia, Nicaragua, and the Navajo Nation, providing essential services to remote communities. With continued donor contributions, FLCF aims to quadruple our impact next year, empowering FLC students to lead humanitarian development and drive sustainable change.

In 2024, project sites include Zambia, hosting our first-ever initiatives; Nicaragua, with the largest water system project to date; and the Navajo Nation, where we're expanding sustainable energy efforts.

The question to me is not what does the clean energy transition look like. It is about who it looks like. To me, it looks like the students at Fort Lewis College I get to work with every day, who are passionate about a better future."

Laurie Williams, Ph.D.
VAP Co-founder, Solar Initiative Director, Professor of Physics & Engineering

Undergraduate Research

Through initiatives like the Undergraduate Research Symposium & Awards Gala, students can share their research projects and be recognized for their exceptional work. The 2024 Undergraduate Research Scholar Awards honored students who tackled real-world challenges through their research, covering various disciplines such as Chemistry, Biology, Geosciences, Health and Human Performance, and more. 

One of the significant contributions to this effort came from the Intuitive Foundation to expand FLC’s Pay it Forward (PIF) mentor-based research program in STEM fields. This grant offers stipends to students and their mentors and emphasizes the importance of mentor-mentee relationships and effective research communication.

We know mentor-mentee relationships are important, particularly for allowing students to persist in their fields of study. By facilitating research in classes, our faculty can transfer their passion and knowledge to our students."

Christine Smith
Undergraduate Research Coordinator

Hands-on research happens daily at Fort Lewis College. Undergraduate research is not something we do at Fort Lewis; it is what we do best at Fort Lewis College."

Mario Martinez
Provost