The Evergreen signature clock tower
The Evergreen State College is an accredited public liberal arts college
and is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges.
It was founded in 1967 in the state capital, Olympia,
Washington. Begun as an experimental and non-traditional college, its academic offerings have become generally more
traditional over time, but faculty still issue narrative evaluations of students'
work rather than grades, and Evergreen still organizes most studies into largely interdisciplinary classes titled "Coordinated
Studies Programs," which generally constitute a full-time course load. Evergreen's President is Thomas L. (Les) Purce and its
Board Chair is Christopher Hedrick.
In late 2006, Evergreen's level of academic challenge among freshman and seniors was marked in the top ten percent of all
baccalaureate colleges in the nation by the National Survey
of Student Engagement, a study by Indiana University and the
Pew Charitable Trusts. In years past, Evergreen consistently ranked highly in
the U.S. News & World Report college rankings. However, Evergreen is currently ranked a tier 4 school, although the magazine's ranking system is the subject of criticism by some
colleges and universities and other publications.[1]. Science programs at the college are noted for significant discoveries, particularly with Phage and E.Coli, and inclusion of undergraduate students in
high level research. Author and former New York Times education editor Loren Pope cites
Evergreen as one of two public colleges in the United States in his book "Colleges
That Change Lives."
The Evergreen State College offers the degrees of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts
and Bachelor of Science, Master of Environmental Studies, Master of Public Administration, and Master in Teaching. As of 2005 there were approximately 4,500 students taught by approximately 225 faculty members. Evergreen's campus is the
largest of any Washington state baccalaureate institution at approximately 1,000 acres (4 km²). The campus' 1000 acres are
located five miles northwest of Olympia on the Cooper Point Peninsula and has 3,000 feet (910 m) of water frontage on
Puget Sound's Eld Inlet.
On 10th August 2007, The Evergreen State College was ranked no. 4 on grist.org's list
of 15 Green Colleges and Universities.
The Evergreen State College has a large influence on the culture and economy of the growing city of Olympia. In 2003, the city
was named as one of the 40 best college towns in the nation by Outside magazine [2].
Identity and athletics
The Seminar II building, completed in 2004
Evergreen's motto, Omnia Extares, can be translated as "let it all hang out," or as "reach out in all directions," a
reference to their interdisciplinary pedagogy. It is also a reference to the school mascot, the geoduck. School colors are green and white. The Geoduck Fight Song is the college's official
fight song. It was written in 1971 by Malcolm Stilson, a staff librarian at the college from
1970 into the 1980's. He was well known at the college for writing satirical musicals about Evergreen and Olympia (such as "Das
Kapital Mall") which were performed by faculty and staff members. In proper performances of the fight song, arm motions accompany
the third and fourth lines of each verse. The lyrics are as follows:
- Go, Geoducks, go!
- Through the mud and the sand let's go!
- Siphon high, squirt it out, swivel all about.
- Let it all hang out!
- Go, Geoducks, go!
- Stretch your necks when the tide is low!
- Siphon high, squirt it out, swivel all about.
- Let it all hang out!
Lyrics to the college's alma mater are as follows:
- Omnia Extares, Omnia Extares
- Alma Mater, Evergreen
- Omnia Extares
The basketball and soccer programs are noted for recent national rankings in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
History
The Evergreen State College, c. 1978
In 1964, a report was issued by the Council of Presidents of Washington state baccalaureate institutions, stating that another
college was needed in the state to balance the geographical distribution of the existing state institutions. This report spurred
the 1965 Washington legislature to create the Temporary Advisory Council on Public Higher Education to study the need and
possible location for a new state college.
In 1965-66, the Temporary Advisory Council on Public Higher Education (assisted by Nelson Associates of New York) concluded
"at the earliest possible time a new college should be authorized," to be located at a suburban site in Thurston County within a
radius of approximately 10 miles from Olympia.
Evergreen's enabling legislation - HB 596 (Chapter 47, Laws of 1967) - stated that the campus should be no smaller than 600
acres (2.4 km²), making it then the largest campus in the state as well as the first public four-year college created in
Washington in the 20th century.
On January 24, 1968, The Evergreen State College was selected from 31 choices as the name of the new institution. On
November 1, 1968, Charles
J. McCann assumed the first presidency of the college. McCann and the founding faculty held the first day of classes
October 4, 1971 with 1178 students. McCann served from 1968
until his retirement June 6, 1977 when former Governor
Daniel J. Evans, who signed the legislation creating Evergreen, assumed the presidency.
Evans left the president's office abruptly in 1983 when he was appointed to the United
States Senate to fill the vacancy created by the death of Senator Henry M.
Jackson. The largest building on campus is named in honor of Evans, the Daniel J. Evans Library Building. The entrance to
the campus bears McCann's name, the Charles J. McCann plaza. In 2004, the college completed the
170,000 square foot Seminar II building, and significant work is now underway at the Evans Building. The current president is
Thomas L. Purce.
Notable alumni and students
- Lynda Barry, cartoonist and author
- Craig Bartlett, cartoonist and animator
- Josh Blue, stand-up comedian, winner of Last Comic
Standing, member of U.S. Men's Paralympic Soccer Team
- Violet Blue, Porn Star
- Carrie Brownstein, musician in band Sleater-Kinney
- Charles Burns, cartoonist
- Rachel Corrie, activist
- Kimya Dawson, musician
- Timo Ellis, musician
- Phil Elverum, musician
- Steve Fisk, musician
- John Bellamy Foster, co-editor, Monthly
Review
- Jason Frost, musician, publisher A Frosty J Productions
(ASCAP)
- Elizabeth Furse, former U.S. Congresswoman
- Tim Girvin, calligrapher and designer
- Joey Gjertsen, soccer player with Vancouver
Whitecaps of the USL First Division
- Matt Groening, cartoonist, creator of Life in
Hell, The Simpsons, and Futurama
- Kathleen Hanna, musician in band Bikini Kill and
Le Tigre
- Thorn Kief Hillsbery, author
|
- Calvin Johnson, composer, musician, audio producer and founder of
K Records
- Conrad Keely, vocalist/guitarist of indie rock band
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
- Megan Kelso, cartoonist
- Burke Kenny, winner of the Full Beard with Styled Moustache category at the 2007
World Beard and Moustache Championships. Also believed to be the
youngest ever World Facial Hair Champion at age 22.
- Stan Klyne, president of Klyne Audio
Arts
- Bill Kozlowski(1971-2003), musician, co-founder of Juneau
Information Service Technology, and medicinal marijuana advocate.
- Nomy Lamm, singer, songwriter, activist, accordianist
- Scott Leers, activist
- Saab Lofton, author, activist
- Lois Maffeo, musician
- Robert W. McChesney, co-editor, Monthly
Review
- Andrew Mickel, murderer
- Judith Moore, author of the novel
- Inga Muscio, author of book Cunt:
A Declaration of Independence, feminist
- Jared Pappas-Kelley, artist
- Bruce Pavitt, founder of Sub Pop Records
- Russell Potter, writer and college professor
- David Price, anthropologist
- Don Price, Deputy Head of Darfur for the United Nations
- Judge Christine Quinn-Brintnall, Washington State Court of Appeals
Judge
|
- Heather Rae, filmmaker
- Michael Richards, actor, best known as "Cosmo
Kramer" on Seinfeld
- Don Roff, writer and filmmaker.
- Ken Silverstein, investigative journalist
- D.C. Simpson, cartoonist
- Steve Thomas, host of the PBS show This Old House
- Sharon Tomiko Santos, Washington State Representative, 37th District
- Cappy Thompson, artist
- Corin Tucker, musician in band Sleater-Kinney
- Tobi Vail, musician in band Bikini Kill
- John Wozniak, musician in band Marcy
Playground, record producer
- Mirah Zeitlyn, recording artist
- Ryan Wise, writer, director, editor and co-founder of Big
Fantastic
|
Notable student groups
Notable faculty
Trivia
- Matt Groening was quoted as saying "I went to college in Olympia, Washington, a fine
little progressive school called Evergreen State College, state-funded, no grades, no hard courses. I highly recommend it to all
self-disciplined creative weirdoes."[3]
See also
References
External links
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