The first two Japan overseas program groups, 1962

In 1962 the college began an overseas and off-campus program. In this first academic year, students and their faculty leaders studied in Chile, Japan, Mexico, Peru and England. The Lewis & Clark contingent was the first group of U.S. students to study in Hiroshima since the 1945 bombing.

From Pirates to Pioneers

During the college’s early years, student social affairs were prohibited except on Friday evenings. Student dancing and roller skating were not permitted “as such excitement unfits them for the duties of the schoolroom.” In the 1900s, literary societies gave way to sorority and fraternity organizations as the focal point of student life on campus. Parties and dances became more customary, including the annual May Fête social.  As Greek life fell out of favor in the early 1960s, new clubs and organizations based on student interests began to emerge. Today the Rusty Nail, a student-run cooperative venue founded in 1973, provides space and resources for groups or events. Larger student community events include the popular end-of-year Sunburn concert, hosted by campus radio station KLC, and the annual Pio Fair, which takes place at the beginning of each academic year. 

Explore Lewis & Clark history through the Oral History Project HERE

View the Lewis & Clark historical photograph collection HERE