This was a semester of milestones at Fort Lewis College. While change can be intimidating, I believe the events of this semester will strengthen the college. I’d like to take a few words to touch on a number of these milestones.

I’m sure many of you followed the recent drama surrounding the funding of our Geosciences, Physics and Engineering Building. I am grateful to say FLC has devoted friends and supporters who immediately came to our aid. I would like to personally thank state Sen. Ellen Roberts and state Rep. Mike McLachlan for the work they did on our behalf. Due in large part to their efforts, I am pleased to say the college is in line to receive funding to begin construction on our new building this summer, with the remainder of the funding to follow.

I am also encouraged by the $100-million increase to the state’s higher-education funding. The increase is split between $60 million for operating budgets and $40 million for financial aid. I want to thank Gov. John Hickenlooper and Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia for their hard work in making this increase a reality.

Several funding studies have warned that within a decade, state support of higher education will sharply decline. I am proud FLC has one of the most affordable tuitions in Colorado, but I am also concerned deep cuts to state funding would lead to increased tuition for students.

There is a debate as to whether a college education is a public good or an individual benefit. To think of a college degree as simply an individual gain dismisses the societal benefits we all see from having a well-educated citizenry. Yet, if state support for higher education dwindles and tuition increases, a college education will move out of reach for all but the affluent. This would be devastating for the lower- and middle-income students who could benefit so greatly from the chance to attend college.

I want to thank Lt. Gov. Garcia for coming to FLC for the board of trustees meeting in April. He spoke to the board about the state of higher education funding, as well as the opportunities and challenges facing colleges and universities. He also joined with the Colorado Department of Higher Education in supporting the college’s return to a three-credit curriculum model as it removes barriers to seamless transfer across the state.

The decision to move FLC’s current three-and-four-credit mixed curriculum model to a three-credit model was heavily debated over the last year, with our faculty split on the subject. There was concern that the move back to a three-credit model would somehow hurt the college’s liberal arts mission. Quite the opposite is true: A liberal arts education should offer students more breadth and depth in their studies, and a three-credit model will give us the opportunity to do just that.

For example, our current three-and-four-credit mixed model limits students in the classes they can take because of scheduling conflicts due to differing class times, as well as restrictions on taking more than 120 credits. With a three-credit model, students will have more freedom and flexibility to take a wider variety of courses.

Moving on, I want to recognize a remarkable man and an educational legend: Dr. Duane Smith. After 50 years at FLC, he is retiring. His impact on his students, on the college and on the Durango community cannot be overstated. Thank you, Duane.

Finally, I want to recognize the accomplishments of our Skyhawk student-athletes. The Troy Bledsoe Female Scholar Athlete Award winner for 2014 is women’s basketball senior guard Ashley Kuchar. Not only is she ranked near the top in nearly every game-stat category, she also holds a 3.95 grade point average. The 2014 Troy Bledsoe Male Scholar Athlete Award went to football offensive lineman Evan Wagstrom. He is a four-year starter for the Skyhawks and will graduate magna cum laude.

Also among the athletic award winners are senior softball player Chelsea Rodriguez, the 2014 Jan Wilson Hetzler Outstanding Senior Female Athlete of the Year, and the 2014 Don Whalen Outstanding Senior Male Athlete of the Year: men’s basketball senior guard Nick Tomsick.

This was a semester of big changes that will help us achieve bigger and better things in the future. Thank you to all of you who do so much to support FLC.

Go Skyhawks!

Dene Thomas is the president of Fort Lewis College. Reach her at thomas_d@fortlewis.edu.