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Evergreen State College

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The Evergreen State College is a public liberal arts college in Thurston County, Washington,[7] with an Olympia postal address. Founded in 1967, and offering classes in the fall of 1971, it offers a non-traditional undergraduate curriculum in which students have the option to design their own study towards a degree or follow a predetermined path of study. Full-time students can enroll in interdisciplinary academic programs, in addition to stand-alone classes. Programs typically offer students the opportunity to study several disciplines in a coordinated manner. Faculty write substantive narrative evaluations of students' work in place of issuing grades.

The Evergreen State College
MottoOmnia Extares[1] (Latin)
Motto in English
"Let it all hang out"
TypePublic liberal arts college
Established1967; 59 years ago (1967)
AccreditationNWCCU
Academic affiliations
COPLAC
Endowment$19.5 million (2023)[2]
PresidentJohn Carmichael[3]
ProvostNoah Coburn[3]
DeanHolly Joseph[3]
Academic staff
86 full-time (2023)[4]
84 adjunct (2023)
7 part-time (2023)
Administrative staff
84 (2023)
Students2,505 (fall 2024)[5]
Postgraduates209 (fall 2024)
Location
Thurston County, Washington
,
U.S.

47°04′23″N 122°58′34″W / 47.073°N 122.976°W / 47.073; -122.976
Campus
  • 1,000 acres (400 ha)
  • Midsize suburb[6]
NewspaperThe Cooper Point Journal
ColorsGreen and white
   
NicknameGeoduck
Sporting affiliations
NAIA – CCC
MascotSpeedy the Geoduck[1]
Websiteevergreen.edu
Map
Map
Map
Interactive map of College location

Evergreen's main campus, which includes its own saltwater beach, spans 1,000 acres of forest close to the southern end of Puget Sound. Evergreen also has a satellite campus in nearby Tacoma. The school offers the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Environmental Studies, Master in Teaching, and Master of Public Administration degrees.[8]

Evergreen was one of many alternative colleges and programs launched in the 1960s and 1970s, often described as experiments.[9] While the vast majority of these have either closed or adopted more mainstream approaches, Evergreen continues to teach a non-traditional curriculum. The college experienced enrollment declines in the late 2010s.[10]

History

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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.[11]

In 1965–66, the Temporary Advisory Council on Public Higher Education (assisted by Nelson Associates of New York) concluded that "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 (16 km) from Olympia. Evergreen's enabling legislation – HB 596 (Chapter 47, Laws of 1967) – stated that the campus should be no smaller than 600 acres (240 ha), 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 1,128 students. McCann served from 1968 until stepping down to join the faculty June 6, 1977, when former Governor Daniel J. Evans, who signed the legislation creating Evergreen, assumed the presidency. Evans left the president's office in 1983 when he was appointed to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused 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 1982, Maxine Mimms founded Evergreen's Tacoma campus.[12]

In the 1992–93 school year, students chose Leonard Peltier to give the address at commencement, which was the first with a graduating class of more than 1,000.[13] The selection was described as "perhaps the most unconventional commencement speaker" in a published round-up of the most controversial graduation speakers on campuses nationwide that year.[14] Peltier, who was in federal prison, submitted his remarks in writing, to be read by a graduating senior.[15]

In 1999, Mumia Abu-Jamal was invited to deliver the keynote address by audiotape for the graduating class at the college. The event was protested by some.[16]

In 2004, the college completed the 170,000-square-foot (16,000 m2) Seminar II building, as well as a significant remodeling of the Daniel J Evans Library.

In 2015, George Sumner Bridges became the sixth president of Evergreen State College, not counting interim appointments. Bridges had previously served as president of Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. He followed Thomas L. "Les" Purce (2000–2015), Jane L. Jervis (1992–2000), and Joseph D. Olander (1985–1990).[17]

On December 11, 2023, 21-year-old Evergreen student Jonathan Rodriguez died of carbon monoxide poisoning in an on-campus modular apartment; two other students and a responding campus police officer were hospitalized.[18] A Washington State Patrol investigation found that a tankless water heater installed the previous week had not been connected to standard, and that carbon monoxide detectors had activated earlier the same day but were silenced and reset by maintenance staff, who treated them as faulty rather than as a genuine event.[19][20] In response, Evergreen discontinued propane-fueled housing units, revised its alarm-response and after-hours emergency protocols, and allocated $1 million to housing safety improvements; the two contractors who installed the heater were later charged with second-degree manslaughter, and the State of Washington agreed in 2024 to a $25 million settlement with Rodriguez's family.[21][22]

2017 protests

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From the 1970s onward, Evergreen held an annual "Day of Absence", inspired by Douglas Turner Ward's play of the same name, in which minority students and faculty voluntarily stayed off campus to highlight the contributions of people of color and discuss racial issues; since 1992 it had been paired with a "Day of Presence" reuniting the campus.[23] In 2017, following concerns raised by students of color after the 2016 US presidential election and a 2015 off-campus police shooting, organizers reversed the format so that white students, staff, and faculty were invited to participate in an off-campus program while students of color held activities on campus.[24]

Biology professor Bret Weinstein objected to the change in an email to faculty, drawing a distinction between a group voluntarily absenting itself from a shared space and a group being asked to leave.[25] In late May, student protesters disrupted classes, occupied the office of President George Bridges, and demanded a series of changes including Weinstein's resignation.[24] Campus police informed Weinstein that they could not guarantee his safety on campus, and he held a class in a public park; he and his wife, professor Heather Heying, subsequently resigned and received a combined $500,000 settlement from the college.[26]

A direct threat to campus on June 1 prompted a two-day closure, and protesters caused an estimated $10,000 in property damage.[27] A June 15 demonstration by the far-right group Patriot Prayer led to another early closure, and the 2017 commencement was relocated off-campus.[28] Coverage by right-leaning media outlets drew sustained national attention to the college, and several African American students, staff, and faculty reported receiving harassing and threatening messages in the months that followed.[29]

Evergreen's enrollment, which had already been declining for a decade, fell sharply in subsequent years — from 3,881 students in 2017 to 1,952 by February 2022 — forcing a 10% budget cut and increased student fees.[30][31] Enrollment began to recover in 2022 with 14% year-over-year growth, followed by 23% growth in 2023 that brought the total to 2,225.[32]

Academics

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Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023[33]
Race and ethnicity Total
White 57%
 
Hispanic 15%
 
Two or more races 9%
 
Unknown 7%
 
Black 6%
 
American Indian/Alaska Native 3%
 
Asian 2%
 
Economic diversity
Low-income[a] 44%
 
Affluent[b] 56%
 

Undergraduate

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Evergreen is unique[34] in that undergraduate students select one 16-credit program for the entire quarter rather than multiple courses. Full-time programs will encompass a quarter's worth of work in everything related to that program concentration, by up to three professors. There are no majors; students have the freedom to choose what program to enroll in each quarter for the entire duration of their undergraduate education, and are not required to follow a specific set of programs. Evergreen is on the "quarter" system, with programs lasting one, two, or three quarters. Three-quarter programs are generally September through June.

Evergreen has been featured in Colleges That Change Lives.[34]

At the end of the program, the professor writes a one-page report ("Evaluation") about the student's activity in the class rather than awarding a letter grade, and has an end-of-program evaluation conference with each student. The professor also determines how many credits should be awarded to the student, and students can lose credit.

In order to be granted a Bachelor of Science degree, a student must complete 180 credits, 72 of which need to be in science, with 48 of those noted as upper division. This upper division requirement can be satisfied by one year of full-time upper-division science studies.

Evergreen offers an evening and weekend program.

Graduate

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Unlike the undergraduate programs, the graduate programs require a student to take a certain rotation of courses.

Evergreen graduate studies consist of the following three programs:

  • Master of Environmental Studies
  • Master in Teaching
  • Master of Public Administration

Rankings

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Academic rankings
Master's
Washington Monthly[35]4
Regional
U.S. News & World Report[36]69

Among regional schools offering some masters programs but few doctorates in the western United States, U.S. News & World Report in 2020 ranked Evergreen tied for 37th overall, second for "most innovative", tied for fourth best for undergraduate teaching, tied for 14th best public school, and tied at 21st best school for veterans.[37]

The Evergreen State College has an admission rate of 96%.[38]

Facilities

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360° panorama on the campus of the Evergreen State College near Olympia, Washington. This panorama features the Daniel J. Evans Library and the clock tower set in a brick courtyard lined with trees.

The campus is in unincorporated Thurston County, Washington.[7][39]

Daniel J. Evans Library

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The main library on The Evergreen State College campus is the Daniel J. Evans Library, named after the former governor who signed the legislation that founded Evergreen, and was also the school's second president. The library is home to some 428,000 volumes and 750,000 print and media items overall. The library hosts a number of small viewing rooms and also maintains special collections of rare books, archival material, and government documents. The Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning Center (QuaSR), a tutoring center for the sciences, is located on the first floor of the library. The library is located in the Information Technology wing of the Daniel J. Evans Library Building. This wing is also the home for Media Services and a large Academic Computing center.

Costantino Recreation Center

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The Evergreen Recreation Center has a large gym, a bouldering wall and a large swimming pool with an 11-lane lap pool and a diving well. It’s open for use for students and faculty of The Evergreen State College and also provides access to the community for a nominal fee. However, the pool is scheduled to close at the end of June.[40]

Environmental reserve and beach

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The Evergreen State College has 1,000 acres (400 ha) of land that is mostly second growth forest. The entire campus serves as a natural laboratory for scientific field research and provides inspiration for creative work. Throughout the 1,000-acre (400 ha) forest there are multiple trails leading to a variety of locations throughout the reserve and to Evergreen Beach. The coastal habitat is characterized by steep bluffs, gravelly beaches with many washed-up logs, and the marine intertidal zone which extends up to 150 feet (46 m) out into Puget Sound's Eld Inlet during low tides. Evergreen has approximately 3,300 feet (1.0 km) of untouched beach and 27 acres (11 ha) of southern Puget Sound tidelands.[41] Students use the beach and tidelands for scientific study and as a place to get away from their studies and relax. There are multiple trails leading to the beach and a small road that leads to the only building at the beach and a small boat ramp. The bluffs range from 15 to 60 feet (5 to 20 m) in height.[41]

Organic farm

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Sign on a gate at the Organic Farm

The Evergreen Organic Farm annual crop bed space comprises 38,000 square feet (0.35 ha), slightly less than 1 acre (0.40 ha). The farm also produces apples and other perennial food crops, and tends to a flock of hens. Produce is sold to the Evergreen community through CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares, or from a farm-stand on Red Square every Tuesday and Thursday from 11am to 5pm during the growing season. Produce is sometimes sold to campus food services Aramark and the Flaming Eggplant Cafe. Excess produce is available to students in the interdisciplinary program, titled "The Practice of Sustainable Agriculture".

Proceeds from the sale of the crops are used to finance farm projects, as well as purchase seeds and equipment. Two of the greenhouses, the cooler, compost shed, farm fencing and orchard are just a few projects made possible from farm sales. Another use for money generated on the farm is to fund student projects. Many of these projects are related to horticultural aspects of food crops.

The farm production area is divided into sections that are used to delineate cropping areas for specific types of crops. The farm practices a strict five year crop rotation. The rotating of crops creates plant diversity over time as opposed to plant diversity in space. The rotation has four general crop categories with each category occupying a given space for one growing season.

Crop rotation is just one method the farm uses to maintain diversity in the field. Other methods employed are the use of undersown ground covers and inter-cropping different types of vegetable crops. Creating diversity in the field is one of the cornerstones of sustainable agriculture. Diversity provides non-toxic, sustainable crop protection against plant diseases and insect pests.

The Evergreen Organic Farm hosts a large composting facility that composts all compostables from the campus. It also hosts a Biodiesel facility, a community garden, demeters garden, and a large farmhouse that was partially built by students.

Public service centers

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The Evergreen State College is the home of the Longhouse Education and Cultural Center, s'gʷi gʷi ʔ altxʷ: House of Welcome.[42] The Longhouse exists to provide service and hospitality to students, the college, and surrounding Native communities. With a design based on the Northwest Indigenous Nations' philosophy of hospitality, its primary functions are to provide a gathering place for hosting cultural ceremonies, classes, conferences, performances, art exhibits and community events. The Longhouse provides the opportunity to build a bridge of understanding between the regions' tribes and visitors of all cultures. The public service mission of the Longhouse is to promote indigenous arts and cultures through education, cultural preservation, and economic development.

It is also the administrative home for the Washington State Institute for Public Policy. The institute's mission is to carry out practical, non-partisan research—at legislative direction—on issues of importance to Washington State. The institute conducts research using its own policy analysts and economists, specialists from universities, and consultants. Institute staff work closely with legislators, legislative and state agency staff, and experts in the field to ensure that studies answer relevant policy questions.

Other notable public service centers on campus are:

  • Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education
  • Center for Community-Based Learning and Action

Athletics

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The Evergreen State College athletic teams are called the Geoducks. The college is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) since the 1999–2000 academic year.

Evergreen competes in nine intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, track & field and volleyball. Former sports include men's & women's crew.

Mascot

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A geoduck is a clam native to the region.

Soccer

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Former men's soccer star Joey Gjertsen, who led the Geoducks to the 2004 NAIA National Quarterfinals, has gone on to have professional success with the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer. Shawn Medved previously had success in the MLS, playing for D.C. United and the San Jose Clash. Medved scored the tying goal in the 1996 MLS Cup as D.C. went on to the championship.

Basketball

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Evergreen also had a strong run in men's basketball during the first decade of the 21st century, winning the 2002 CCC Championship and reaching the NAIA National Tournament in 2002, 2009 and 2010. Forward Mike Parker from the '02 team has become one of the top professional players in Japan, and several other basketball players have gone on to professional careers overseas.

Media

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Student media

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The Seminar II building, completed in 2004

Student media include student-run newspaper The Cooper Point Journal,[43] the literary magazine Slightly West, and Evergreen's community radio station KAOS-FM.[44]

The Evergreen State College Press

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The Evergreen State College Press is a university press affiliated with Evergreen.[45] Major works released by the press include fieldguides like Writing American Cultures (2013) and Vascular Plants of the South Sound Prairies (2016).[46][47]

Notable alumni

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Alumni of Evergreen State College includes:[1]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ The percentage of students who received an income-based federal Pell grant intended for low-income students.
  2. ↑ The percentage of students who are a part of the American middle class at the bare minimum.

References

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  1. 1 2 3 "Media Fact Sheet". Evergreen State College. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  2. ↑ "2023 College Financial Report" (PDF). The Evergreen State College - Business Services. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  3. 1 2 3 "Evergreen's Organizational Structure | The Evergreen State College". www.evergreen.edu. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  4. ↑ "Evergreen 2024 PRFR Report". The Evergreen State College. 2024-08-29. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  5. ↑ "Facts and Figures - The Evergreen State College". www.evergreen.edu. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  6. ↑ "IPEDS-The Evergreen State College".
  7. 1 2 "Agenda Forecast Advisory Committee Meeting 5". Olympia, Washington: Thurston Regional Planning Council. October 14, 2019. p. 16/20. Retrieved 2026-01-24. The Evergreen State College, located in unincorporated Thurston County,[...]
  8. ↑ "Master of Public Administration in Tribal Governance". The Evergreen State College.
  9. ↑ Rosenzweig, Joy (November 6, 1997). "The Innovative Colleges and Universities of the 1960s and 1970s: What Keeps the Dreams of Experimentation Alive?" (PDF). Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (22nd, Albuquerque, NM, November 6–9, 1997). Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  10. ↑ "Total Student Headcount and FTE - Fall Quarters 1971 to 2024". Evergreen State College - Institutional Research. December 19, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  11. ↑ Clabaugh, Earl. "Dean" (PDF). Retrieved 29 April 2014.
  12. ↑ Bellamy-Walker, Tat (January 27, 2023). "Pioneering teacher Maxine Mimms champions education opportunities for Black adults in WA". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Graduation Weekend Preview" (PDF). Greener Scene: The Newsletter of The Evergreen State College. Office of College Relations. May 14, 1993. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  14. ↑ Shea, Christopher (19 May 1993). "Controversial Commencement Speakers". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  15. ↑ "Commencement Programs 1972-2014". Evergreen State College Archives. The Evergreen State College. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  16. ↑ "Mumia Abu-Jamal to Speak at College Graduation Ceremonies" (Press release). Peter Bohmer of Evergreen State College, Washington. May 26, 1999. Archived from the original on 2017-09-30. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
  17. ↑ "Past Presidents". The Evergreen State College. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  18. ↑ "'Tragic yet avoidable': WSP releases report on Evergreen student's CO poisoning death". KOMO News. March 14, 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  19. ↑ "Findings – Evergreen State College Carbon Monoxide Death Investigation" (Press release). Washington State Patrol. March 13, 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  20. ↑ "Evergreen student's carbon monoxide death investigation says alarms turned off by maintenance". KIRO 7. March 13, 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  21. ↑ "2 charged in death of Evergreen State College student". FOX 13 Seattle. August 7, 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  22. ↑ "State settles with family of Evergreen student who died of carbon monoxide poisoning for $25M". KING 5. September 26, 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  23. ↑ "Day of Absence & Day of Presence Archived 2017-12-26 at the Wayback Machine", First Peoples Advising Services, Evergreen State College. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  24. 1 2 Jaschik, Scott (May 30, 2017). "Who Defines What Is Racist?", Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  25. ↑ Svrluga, Susan; Heim, Joe (June 1, 2017). "Threat shuts down college embroiled in racial dispute". The Washington Post.
  26. ↑ "Evergreen settles with Weinstein, professor at the center of campus protests". The Olympian. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
  27. ↑ Svrluga, Susan (5 June 2017). "Evergreen State College reopens after violent threat and property damage on campus". The Washington Post.
  28. ↑ "Counter-protesters clash with pro-Trump group Patriot Prayer at Evergreen State College". The Seattle Times. 2017-06-15. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  29. ↑ Hartocollis, Anemona (June 16, 2017). "A Campus Argument Goes Viral. Now the College Is Under Siege". The New York Times. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  30. ↑ Spegman, Abby (May 11, 2018). "Evergreen looks to cut $6 million from its budget, raise fees due to enrollment drop". The Olympian. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  31. ↑ Boone, Rolf (February 6, 2022). "Evergreen enrollment falls again, Board of Trustees learn". The Olympian. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  32. ↑ Knox, Liam. "Teacher, Adviser, Researcher… Recruiter?". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  33. ↑ "College Scorecard: The Evergreen State College". United States Department of Education College Scorecard. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  34. 1 2 Pope, Loren (2006). Colleges That Change Lives (3rd ed.). Penguin. ISBN 9780143037361.
  35. ↑ "2025 Master's Universities Rankings". Washington Monthly. August 25, 2025. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  36. ↑ "2025-2026 Best Regional Universities Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. September 23, 2025. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  37. ↑ "Evergreen State College Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  38. ↑ Evergreen State College – Applying, U.S. News & World Report
  39. ↑ Geography Division (April 12, 2021). 2020 Census - Census Block Map: Thurston County, WA (PDF) (Map). Suitland, Maryland: U.S. Census Bureau. p. 12 (PDF p. 13/54). Retrieved 2026-01-24. Evergreen State Colg
  40. ↑ Boone, Rolf (8 March 2026). "A major Olympia-area pool is closing. There's a petition to keep it open". The Olympian. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  41. 1 2 "Campus Master Plan: Volume II – Goals and Policies for Land Use" (PDF). The Evergreen State College. January 2008.
  42. ↑ "S'gʷi gʷi ʔ altxʷ: House of Welcome | the Evergreen State College".
  43. ↑ "Cooper Point Journal". Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  44. ↑ "KAOS Community Radio – 89.3 FM Olympia". Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  45. ↑ "About the Press". Evergreen State College Press. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  46. ↑ Shuman, Amy (2017). "Review of 'Writing American Cultures: Studies of Identity, Community, and Place'". Journal of American Folklore. 130: 369–371. doi:10.5406/jamerfolk.130.517.0369.
  47. ↑ Bowcutt, F. (2021). "Creation of a Field Guide to Camas Prairie Plants with Undergraduates: Project-Based Learning Combined with Epistemological Decolonization". Ethnobiology Letters. 12 (1): 21–31. doi:10.14237/ebl.12.1.2021.1723. S2CID 233884801.
  48. ↑ Goldberg, Danny (2019). Serving the Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain.

Further reading

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