In a Feb. 9 article, the Herald stated: “Although Fort Lewis College’s graduation rate lags the state average, the college does a better-than-average job of keeping its remedial students enrolled ... 35 percent of students in remedial courses had earned a college degree within six years. The state average was less than 30 percent.”

This is, of course, excellent news for FLC. But what the article failed to report was why FLC is so successful with remedial students. There are two key reasons: the writing program and the freshman mathematics program. The latter, for instance, started in 2003 as the brainchild of now-Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Carol Smith. The math program hired master’s-level trained educators – master teachers essentially – who have since worked tirelessly to test and revise curriculum, implement technology into their classrooms, discuss and refine pedagogy, and spent countless hours helping students in the Algebra Alcove. These instructors, along with their colleagues in the writing program, are the true unsung heroes of FLC teaching high-credit loads and working with remedial students to increase their chances of graduating from college. Well done!

Brian Burke

Durango