Lewis-Clark State College is located at Lewiston, Idaho, where two rivers (Clearwater and Snake), two cities (Lewiston and Clarkston) and two states (Idaho and Washington) come together. It is also where two peoples and two cultures came together in friendship and discovery. The location is symbolic of the college’s mission, which is to connect people with learning and learning with their world. Here, education is about discovery, about life.
Founded in 1893, Lewis-Clark State is a public undergraduate college with a history born of vision and commitment to people. The college serves a highly diverse student population, providing educational opportunities to more than 3,300 students from more than 30 states and 20 countries.
For the past four years, LCSC has been ranked as one of the top public colleges in the West in the Comprehensive-Bachelor’s Degree categories – including No. 1 in 2002 and 2005 – by U.S. News & World Report in its rankings of colleges and universities. The honor is well deserved. With its beautiful campus, small classes and superb faculty dedicated to teaching and the learning experience of each student, LCSC is often described as a public institution with the feel and quality of a private college.
Lewis-Clark State is unique in the mix of learning opportunities it provides. LCSC remains the most affordable public college/university in Idaho. The college offers undergraduate instruction in the liberal arts and sciences, as well as in professional and applied technical programs. Students reap the benefits of a smaller campus that maintains big opportunities for practical experience and research related to their studies.
College Role & Mission
Mission
Lewis-Clark State College is a regional state college offering instruction in the liberal arts and sciences, professional areas tailored to the educational needs of Idaho, applied technical programs which support the local and state economy and other educational programs designed to meet the needs of Idahoans.
Core Themes
- Connecting Learning to Life Through Academic Programs. The first segment of the three part mission of Lewis-Clark State College is fulfilled under aegis of Academic Programs. This theme guides the offering of undergraduate instruction in the liberal arts and sciences and professional programs tailored to the educational needs of Idaho.
- Connecting Learning to Life Through Professional-Technical Programs. The second segment of the three part mission of Lewis-Clark State College is fulfilled under the aegis of Professional-Technical Programs. LCSC functions under this theme by offering an array of credit and non-credit educational experiences that prepare skilled workers in established and emerging occupations that serve the region’s employers.
- Connecting Learning to Life Through Community Programs. The third and last theme of Lewis-Clark State College is fulfilled through Community Programs. The primary function of Community Programs is to provide quality delivery of outreach programs and services to students, customers and communities throughout Region II as well as degree completion programs in Region I.
Vision Statement
Unique among Idaho’s institutions of higher education, LCSC will fulfill the SBOE vision of a seamless public education system by integrating traditional baccalaureate programs, professional-technical training programs, and community college and community support programs within a single institution, serving diverse needs within a single student body, and providing outstanding teaching and support by a single faculty and administrative team. LCSC’s one-mission, one-team approach will prepare citizens from all walks of life to make the most of their individual potential and contribute to the common good by fostering respect and close teamwork among all Idahoans. Sustaining a tradition that dates back to its founding as a teacher training college in 1893, LCSC will continue to place paramount emphasis on quality of instruction—focusing on the quality of the teaching and learning environment for traditional and non-traditional academic classes, professional-technical education, and community instructional programs. Lewis-Clark students’ personalized instruction will be complemented by personal application of knowledge and skills in the real world, as embodied in the College’s motto: “Connecting Learning to Life.” LCSC will be an active partner with the K-12 school system, community service agencies, and private enterprises and will support regional economic and cultural development. LCSC will strive to sustain its tradition as the most accessible four-year higher-education institution in Idaho by rigorously managing program costs; student fees; housing, textbook, and lab costs; and financial assistance to ensure affordability. LCSC will vigorously manage the academic accessibility of its programs through accurate placement, use of student-centered course curricula, and constant oversight of faculty teaching effectiveness. LCSC will nurture the development of strong personal values and will emphasize teamwork to equip its students to become productive and effective citizens who will work together to make a positive difference in the state, the nation, and the world.
Control
The Idaho State Board of Education is responsible for the general supervision, governance and control of Lewis-Clark State College and serves as its Board of Trustees.
Cultural Diversity
Lewis-Clark State College, a public, four-year undergraduate institution, is committed to providing a learning environment that affords people of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds opportunities to achieve their highest educational goals. The college’s educational and enrichment programs, curricula, faculty, staff and students share the goal of promoting multiethnic/multicultural awareness and acceptance on campus and within the community.
Lewis-Clark State College continues to emphasize an ethnically and culturally diverse learning community that prepares students for successful interaction in an increasingly diverse society. The college firmly embraces the philosophy that individuals, free of ethnic and cultural prejudice, be capable of fully participating in a global society. Our commitment to a multiethnic/multicultural environment is clearly articulated in oral and written philosophies governing the recruitment, enrollment and graduation of students and the pursuit, hiring and retention of faculty and staff.
We are especially cognizant of the distinctive relationship between Lewis-Clark State College and Native Americans because of the historical significance, proximity and frequent collaboration with the Nez Perce Tribe on projects and programs of mutual benefit.
We recognize the importance of preparing students of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds for full participation in an integrated society while preserving and perpetuating their many unique cultural and historical identities. LCSC enhances and promotes the free exchange of ideas in an environment that celebrates the dignity, worth and contributions of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds as a means of enabling individuals to reach their potential.
Expectations of Students
Lewis-Clark State College students are expected to communicate with precision through extensive writing and speaking. Students will find that through such writing, speaking, listening, computing and library/research assignments, the quality of their college education will be significantly enhanced.
Students who engage fully in these fundamental experiences will attain greater intellectual, emotional and personal rewards. These strong educational foundations will enable students to:
1. Develop the competencies needed to fulfill career objectives;
2. Gain a general education that promotes continual personal growth and life-long learning, enabling students to effectively communicate, understand and work with a variety of people from differing cultures;
3. Develop the ability to effectively cope with ambiguity and interact with the constantly changing world;
4. Develop linkages between the liberal arts and the professions;
5. Acquire basic knowledge of human beings, societies, governments and the physical world;
6. Assist and participate with others to examine, maintain and improve the human existence;
7. Acquire life-long skills and interests that continually develop aesthetic, cultural and intellectual interests; and
8. Acquire an understanding of one’s personal value system and its relationship to actions.
To attain optimum outcomes at Lewis-Clark State College, students should:
1. Come to the college prepared to explore value systems and make personal changes that will accommodate a broader view of life and the human condition;
2. Have the learning skills necessary to satisfactorily complete entry level course work or be able to identify for personal improvement college support services needed to develop those skills;
3. Have the outlook that the quality and quantity of effort devoted to education will directly affect future personal and professional success;
4. Understand that college provides the opportunity to lay the foundation for the rest of one’s life; and
5. Use this catalog as a resource when designing, planning and implementing appropriate degree programs
Students who approach college with these expectations attain greater intellectual, emotional, personal and financial rewards.