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The Evergreen State College is an accredited public baccalaureate arts and sciences college, 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.
In late 2005, Evergreen's level of academic challenge 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 Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. 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 *. 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.
The Evergreen State College offers the degrees of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences, Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts and Sciences, 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 is 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.
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 *.
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Identity and athletics
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!
Stick your neck out 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.
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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.
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 added on a new Seminar II building. The current president is Thomas L. Purce.
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Notable Evergreen State College students and alumni
Karrie Jacobs, editor and author on architecture and design issues
Inga Muscio, author of book Cunt: A Declaration of Independence, feminist
Ian Stenseng, former Idaho legislative candidate, political blogger
Dan Swecker, Washington State Senator, representing the 20th legislative district
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Student groups
Asian Solidarity In Action (ASIA)
Coalition Against Sexual Violence
Cooper Point Journal Newspaper
Development of Ecological Projects for the Evergreen Organic Farm (DEAP)
Disabled Student Alliance
Environmental Resource Center (ERC)
Evergreen Animal Rights Network (EARN)
Evergreen Electronic Music Collective
Evergreen Irish Resurgence Experiment (EIRE)
Evergreen Queer Alliance (EQA)
Evergreen Spontaneity Club
Evergreen Students for Christ
Expressive Arts Student Activities League (EASAL)
Giant Robot Appreciation Society (GRAS)
Greeners for Student Government
LARP Strategy and Dragons
Masters of Environmental Studies Graduate Student Association
Masters in Public Administration
Media Influenced Entertainment
Native Student Alliance (NSA)
Newly Emerging Recognizers of the Dimensional Sciences (NERDS)
Order of Sustainable Energy
Organizing for Evergreen Student Union
Prison Action Committee (PAC)
Progressive Planners Network
Radical Catholics for Justice and Peace
Services & Activities (S&A) Board
Shaolin Temple Cultural Arts Club
Slightly West Literary Magazine
Student Video Gamers Alliance
Students Against Hunger and Homelessness
Students at Evergreen for Ecological Design (SEED)
Students Educating Students About the Middle East (SESAME)
Students Organizing for Food Autonomy (SOFA)
The Russian Greeners: Russian Club
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See also
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