As we prepare for the start of the semester, it’s inspiring to see dynamic developments in higher education both in Colorado and across the country. From diversity and funding to technology and student belonging, we’re part of an exciting journey. This has been a vibrant summer for our campus- welcoming new families and students to FLC and hosting culturally enriching community events. Our Board of Trustees has also been actively engaged this summer in moving us forward on strategic planning.
In this welcome back issue of ATM, we focus on the priorities of Academic Affairs that are key components of continuing our mission-driven work. You will find an outline of the four priorities I discussed with many of you last spring. Highlighting the incredible work of our faculty and students is a key goal of ATM, and this issue features summer highlights, initiatives, new roles, and achievements. I encourage you to also submit your suggestions for faculty and/or student stories that we can share in a future edition of ATM.
As we welcome more students and faculty back to campus, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all our faculty and staff. Your dedication to our students, community, and each other is truly remarkable. I look forward to seeing you at our welcome events!
Mario Martinez Provost and Vice President
ACHIEVING TOGETHER:
YOU ARE ESSENTIAL TO MAKING THESE GOALS A REALITY
One of the best traits of FLC faculty and staff is how much they care about the success of our students. Whenever we have the opportunity to interview or chat with students, we hear the impact you’re making in their lives. Whether it’s just checking in on someone to see how they are doing or encouraging someone to achieve something they didn’t think was possible, FLC faculty and staff are essential to student and campus success. The Provost Priorities aim to advance academic excellence and innovation within our institution. Achieving these priorities requires the dedication and collaboration of our entire community. Together, we can create an environment where every member thrives, contributes, and excels.
DEGREE SUCCESS FOR ALL
Goal: Every student earns a bachelor’s degree
Why: There is no substitute for a four-year degree
Our Work Together: Improve retention and graduation rates
INCLUSIVE ACADEMIC PRACTICES
Goal: Foster inclusive teaching, learning, and institutional practices
Why: Inclusivity and diversity are fundamental to the FLC ethos
Our Work Together: Reinforce, highlight, and develop Inclusive Academic Practices
CAREER READINESS
Goal: Employment options available for all students upon graduation
Why: Career readiness is a key value of a college degree
Our Work Together: Crosswalk career readiness skills to majors and programs
WITH
Goal: Establish AI governance, resource, and pilot work
Why: Explore possibilities for student success and institutional improvements
Our Work Together: Provide avenues for engagement, discussion, development, and learning
Throughout the year, we highlight students, staff, and faculty who exemplify the Provost Priorities. If you or someone you know would make a great highlight, share your ideas us in our anonymous feedback form, or email us. We want to hear from you!
SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS
This summer at Fort Lewis College was a season of vibrant activity and innovation. From enriching academic initiatives and exciting student accomplishments, the campus buzzed with energy. Here’s a peek at a few impactful programs that made the summer of 2024 memorable, showcasing the dedication and creativity of the Fort Lewis College community.
STUDENT MARKETING AGENCY
6 weeks
Students worked 40 hours per week with guidance from Tomasz Miaskiewicz, associate professor of Marketing, and Heath Anderson, visiting instructor of Marketing
4
The Katz School of Business hosted their third Student Marketing Agency this summer. The agency was able to provide competitive salaries to the participating students through the $1.5 million endowment provided specifically for the Student Marketing Agency as part of the larger gift to the School of Business from Marc and Jane Katz. The junior marketing consultants gained hands-on experience providing local businesses and non-profits with professional marketing services.
Read the latest FLC coverage of the Student Marketing Agency.
Junior Marketing Consultants
AJ Espindola (Entrepreneurship & Small Business Management, ‘25), Chloe Hammond (Entrepreneurship & Small Business Management, ‘25), Wraygen Shouldis (Business Administration, ‘24), Martine Tsosie (Accounting and Marketing, ‘24)
This experience has been a great way to start applying all of the skills I learned as a marketing minor. It was interesting to be able to use what I learned in class in a “real” environment.
-AJ Espindola (Entrepreneurship & Small Business Management, ‘25)
5
Local businesses
The businesses selected from the applicants were Local First, Pine Needle, J. Bo’s Pizza and Rib Company, GeekPack, and O-Bar-O Cabins
It was a lifesaver for me... having this opportunity to put it all together was fantastic for us and really just has propelled us forward.
-Doug McCarthy, chief executive officer Local First
FACULTY SUPPORTING FACULTY
This summer the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) announced the selection of the 2024 CTL Faculty Fellows. These outstanding faculty members will contribute to advancing the work of CTL through strategic projects, mentorship, and the development of professional growth assets.
• Consulting with CTL on learning data and analytics.
• Supporting the implementation of a learning analytics platform in Canvas.
• Holding Consulting hours to support faculty on using student learning data.
FLC LAUNCHES EDUCATORS ON THE WATER
Our Educators on the Water program launched on June 17 with area educators looking to develop their experiential and place-based teaching methods while exploring the San Juan River. Read more FLC coverage on Educators on the Water.
27 river miles
Were traveled down the San Juan River over four days
6 school districts
Were represented by educators from school districts in Colorado and New Mexico
I am exceedingly grateful for the inspirational and restorative nature of this FLOW trip. My mind is clear, my heart is light, and my teacher mind is already looking ahead to applying the mindfulness and risk management concepts we practiced on our FLOW trip.
CREATING SUPPORTIVE & INCLUSIVE AI
This summer, FLC hosted the inaugural AI Summer Institute to build AI capacity and knowledge, and put new ideas and learning into action. The institute offered students the opportunity to work with faculty and staff mentors to expand their understanding of AI and build AI tools specifically for FLC. The teams incorporated diverse cultural and social perspectives into their AI development, ensuring the creation of inclusive AI tools that could support the FLC community.
AI Area of Focus: Student Life
Students: Alma Alejandre (Studio Art, ‘27) and Tim Fuchs (Sports Administration, ‘25) Faculty: Mark Beattie, assistant professor Health & Human Performance
AI Area of Focus: Advising & Admissions
Students: Kelvin Benedict (Business Administration, ‘26) and Morgan Feldpausch (Business Administration & Accounting, ‘25) Faculty: Ivan Guardiola, chair of Entrepreneurship, Business Administration, & Computer Information Systems and Tom Miaskiewicz, associate professor of Marketing & AI provost fellow
AI Area of Focus: Tutoring
Student: Joe Rendon (Economics, ‘24) Staff: Winn Cook, Institutional Research
AI Area of Focus: Admissions
Student: Joseph Flores (Engineering, ‘25) Staff: Ian Fullinwider, Curriculum & Retention program manager
“I see creating an AI specific to FLC in a way that really encapsulates the attitude that we have here- being inclusive, making sure that everyone is accounted for, and all ideas are valued and recognized, making sure that everyone’s voices are heard and adding to the experience here at FLC that everyone really cares.”
-Joseph Flores (Engineering, ‘25)
FLC PROFESSORS RECEIVE FULBRIGHT AWARDS
In a proud moment for Fort Lewis College, History Professor Ellen Paul and Philosophy Professor Justin McBrayer have been honored with Fulbright Scholar Awards for 2024-2025. These prestigious awards recognize their contributions to academia and public diplomacy, allowing them to teach and conduct research abroad, fostering international collaboration and understanding.
“I will give lectures on modern Europe and U.S. history teaching pedagogy to students at the University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Connecting with people is the heart and soul of why I teach and travel. I want to learn Bosnia’s multi-ethnic history and how it has cultivated peace, tolerance, and reconciliation after centuries of domination by external forces, decades of communist rule, and three years of war and genocide (1992-95).
My focus on East European history led me to study the Holocaust, genocide, and nationalism. My students are quite interested in these topics, which dovetail uniquely with the history of Fort Lewis College, a public non-tribal Native American-serving institution. In recent years, the College has started reckoning with the ugly truths of its past. I hope to learn more about Bosnia and Herzegovina’s efforts to promote trust and healing and then bring those lessons to my students and colleagues.”
“I will be a Visiting Professor at the University of Genoa, Italy for the spring term 2025. I will be joining a group of philosophers and social scientists who are researching public trust in science and doing research on the fake news crisis. In addition to research, I will be working closely with Italian students interested in philosophy and the epistemic issues raised by my research. That includes team-teaching a course in moral epistemology with an Italian professor at Genoa, offering a graduate level course in fake news and public policy, and working as an outside reader on dissertations being prepared by Italian students working on Ph.D.s in philosophy.”
“A major point of pride for Fort Lewis College is its nearly 35-year history of producing Fulbright Scholars. Dr. Ellen Paul and Dr. Justin McBrayer will continue that rich tradition this coming year (congratulations!), demonstrating how our faculty share with the world and bring their experiences back to campus.”
-Mario Martinez, provost and vice president
PREVIOUS FLC FULBRIGHT RECIPIENTS
14 FLC professors have been recognized with Fulbright Awards since 1989, including Justin McBrayer who has received two Fulbright Awards.
Our Fulbright recipients have taught and conducted research in 13 countries around the world and across four continents.
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS NEWS BRIEFS
Funding for Advancement of Quantum and Nano-Sciences
Fort Lewis College has received six more years of funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) awards, which will directly support over 80 undergraduate and high school students at FLC and Norfolk State University, a historically Black university in Virginia. The research will focus on the quantum-level properties of materials, with potential applications in materials fabrication and nanoscale devices, including nanotherapeutics for biomedical purposes. The award provides a total of $4.2 million dollars in funding over the next six years.
“We had to recompete against all NSF PREM submissions, so being awarded this second grant for another six years is a monumental win for our students, both at FLC and our partner MSI, Norfolk State University. I can confidently say that we have changed the lives of scores of students ranging from undergrads entering STEM fields following their graduation and high school students successfully entering college. Similar to what we did for the first PREM, called PEAQS, my team will strive to engage with many more students in the coming years. This is all with the backdrop of having these students contribute to graduate-level research in cuttingedge fields of materials science and engineering. Many of these undergraduate students become published authors on peer-reviewed technical journals, which is not a common occurrence,” said Jeff Jessing, associate professor of Physics & Engineering.
Language Revitalization Partnership Continues to Thrive
The Teacher Education Department continues its longstanding commitment to language revitalization. In partnership with the Ute Mountain Ute Nation, a new cohort of adult learners completed a series of three FLC Education courses as part of the Southwest Indigenous Language Development Institute (SILDI). Classes were held on Fridays and Saturdays in June and July in the Ute Mountain Ute village in Towaoc, CO. The Tribe received renewed funding so a second set of courses will continue in AY 24-25. Dean of the School of Education Dr. Jenni Trujillo is excited for some of the curricular materials created in the courses with Ute Elders to be used in K-4 classrooms at the Kwiyagat Community Academy.
We’d love to hear your feedback or any thoughts you’d like to share with us. If there is anything specific that you’ve read in the ATM please also give us your feedback. As always, you can share your thoughts with us in our feedback form
