[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 25, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E109]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       FORT LEWIS COLLEGE TRIBUTE

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                          HON. SCOTT R. TIPTON

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 25, 2011

  Mr. TIPTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the centennial 
anniversary of the founding of Fort Lewis College, of Durango, 
Colorado, on January 25, 1911. Fort Lewis College has continually 
provided a world-class liberal arts education for students of 47 States 
and is consistently recognized as a top university in the United 
States.
  On January 25, 1911, Governor John Shafroth signed a bill creating an 
agricultural high school open to all students and offering a free 
education to Native Americans. The school received $60,000 in funding 
for its first year from the State of Colorado. Since then, Fort Lewis 
College has proven itself able to adapt to the educational needs of its 
time. The school has progressed from agricultural high school to a 
junior college in 1927 and eventually a four year liberal arts college. 
The school has survived numerous attempts to shut it down, and in 1948 
became an independent educational institution under the Colorado State 
Board of Agriculture. In 1956, Fort Lewis College, then Fort Lewis A&M, 
officially moved to its present location in Durango, Colorado.
  Fort Lewis College offers a demanding, stimulating college 
experience, fostering a culture of learning that values community 
outreach and a strong liberal arts education. Fort Lewis College boasts 
an impressive list of accomplishments, including five Colorado 
Professor of the Year awards--only the U.S. Air Force Academy has a 
higher number of professors with the same distinction in Colorado. Of 
four year institutions, Fort Lewis College awards the highest number of 
bachelor's degrees to Native Americans. Eleven NCAA Division II varsity 
teams compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and the college 
offers ninety unique academic programs and seventy student 
organizations.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Fort Lewis College, my alma 
mater, for turning 100, and wish the institution another 100 years of 
academic success.

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