July 8, 2003

Boise State, Fort Lewis College (CO) Announce Engineering Agreement (Native Americans Among Those Benefiting from Agreement)

Fort Lewis College, Colorado’s public liberal arts and sciences college that also has a unique mission to educate Native Americans, and Boise State University, the largest university in Idaho’s higher education system, have signed a dual-degree engineering agreement. Students in the program will concurrently receive a bachelor’s degree in physics from Fort Lewis and a bachelor’s degree in civil, electrical or mechanical engineering from Boise State. Under the cooperative agreement students will take their first three years of coursework at Fort Lewis College, then finish the final two years of the upper-division engineering curriculum at Boise State. Native American students throughout the country will be among the beneficiaries of the new agreement. Fort Lewis provides scholarships to Native Americans, and about 700 of its 4,400 students are of Native American heritage. “If you are Native American and can show tribal affiliation, your education here is tuition-free,” said John Ninnemann, Dean of the Fort Lewis College School of Arts and Sciences. Educating Native Americans, Ninnemann said, “is very much a part of our heritage and really gives a nice flavor to this campus. “Most of the Native American students are from out of state. Our Native American students represent 13 states and more than 60 tribes.” Once an army post, Fort Lewis was deeded to the state of Colorado in the early part of the 20th century with the condition that the fort school continue to provide free education for tribal students. The school, which became a junior college and eventually a four-year college, retained its promise to Native American students. Boise State’s 6-year-old engineering college, which has attained national recognition, earned the attention of Fort Lewis’ physics department faculty. “This agreement will offer Fort Lewis students the best of both worlds — a strong science foundation at a small liberal arts college topped off by a first-rate engineering education at a metropolitan university,” said Boise State Provost Daryl Jones.              This cooperative arrangement is similar to ones Boise State has in place with Albertson College of Idaho, Northwest Nazarene University and Lewis-Clark State College. For information about the dual-degree option call Fort Lewis College at (790) 247-7010 or Boise State College of Engineering at (208) 426-4432. -30- Contact Daryl Jones Boise State Provost 208 426-1202 Media contacts Pat Pyke Boise State communications and marketing 208 426-1987 Chris Aaland Fort Lewis Office of External Affairs 970 247-7401

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