Lewis & Clark College
Portland, Oregon
Private Liberal Arts College
Princeton Review calls Lewis & Clark the 4th most beautiful college campus….and…it’s a BEAUTIFUL campus. The grounds feel like they belong in a story book that involves elves, faeries and perhaps a sprite. The walkways wind through cultivated gardens and untouched groves of trees. Reflecting ponds guide your eye to a stunning view of Mt Hood on a sunny day. Some buildings have what look like turrets; there is even a dovecote atop one whimsical looking building that houses a cozy coffee shop.
Students live on campus for two years. About 40-50% of juniors and seniors remain living on campus, some in apartments. A shuttle is available to take students into Portland, and a bus runs by campus regularly. L&C does not have Greek life. Students here are not joiners, they tend to “feel like being themselves.”
Moss Appreciation Week, a four year old tradition initiated by students at Lewis and Clark, is a fitting early spring event. Moss covers trees, walls and stones throughout campus, adding to the vibrant green hues that surround you as you walk the hilly campus. NPR recently did a story on Moss Appreciation Week, highlighting the moss art, moss poetry, moss related performances and the moss library, where students and faculty can appreciate the variety of moss found on campus. And…moss encourages you to slow down, pay attention, hone in on the details and study closely. These are great characteristics for learners at Lewis and Clark as well for life in general.
Highlighted areas of study at L&C include the Bates Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership, Center for Community and Global Health with pre-health and pre-med advising, a Data Science minor as well as accelerated 4+1 Masters in Education and Counseling, and a 3+3 Law degree.
Students who want to explore prior to declaring a major find L&C a perfect place for this. The liberal arts education encourages exploration and interdisciplinary learning and thinking. Professors focus on the process of growth in their students while striving for excellence in learning. This places the student and their work at the center. Students go on to apply for and win prestigious awards, go on to earn PhDs and other graduate level degrees. Others head into professions and jobs in industry.
Students, faculty and staff are close knit and collaborative. It was obvious that the people who choose to work, learn and study at L&C do so with enthusiasm. Professors learn alongside the students with in class research projects where new questions are asked and the results are not guaranteed. This real world experience sets students up for their own research later.
The Festival of Scholars and Artists occurs each spring when classes are canceled and students present their research, work and projects. Students and faculty look forward to this. Inside Out Courses are taught in the local penitentiary, where half the students are incarcerated and the other half are L&C students. The insight provided with this demographic is unique for students who are interested in justice and law. 70% of the L&C students study abroad. Some go for language immersion and others travel with a professor in a cohort to study specific courses. Both students and professors return with more to share on campus.
Academic symposiums bring speakers, panels, workshops, readings, performances, debate and the community from Portland and beyond to gather to learn and discuss various topics. Gender Studies, Environment Across Boundaries and Race and Ethnic Studies, Middle East and North African Studies and International Affairs are topics covered in the Symposia. Students mentioned this as a highlight at L&C.
