Rita's Archival Page

THE EVERGREEN STATE COLLEGE - PLANNING MILESTONES and EARLY YEARS 1967 - 1977

This information has been compiled by Rita Sevcik who has served as administrative assistant to the president of TESC and recording secretary to the Board of Trustees since 1969. Background documents which led to the creation of Evergreen include:

1964 A report issued by the Council of Presidents in November concluded that another college was needed to balance the geographical distribution of the existing institutions.

1965 In response, the Washington Legislature created the Temporary Advisory Council on Public Higher Education to study, among other matters, the need for an additional four-year college and possible locations.

1966 "A Southwest Washington State College in or near the Capital City of Olympia" was prepared for the Southwest Washington State College Committee, June 1966.

1965-66 The Temporary Advisory Council on Public Higher Education (assisted by Nelson Associates of New York) Study 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 from Olympia). Consulting firm also concluded that the college should be prepared to enroll 10,000 students by 1975.

Enabling legislation stated that the college should be located on a site of at least 600 acres, making this college the largest campus in the state (and the first public four-year college created in Washington State in the 20^th Century). [Evergreen's site of approximately 1,000 acres is located five miles northwest of Olympia on Cooper Point Peninsula and has 3,000 feet of water frontage on Puget Sound's Eld Inlet.]

*DATE*	*EVENT(S)*
3/21/67	HB 596 (Chapter 47, Laws of 1967, legislation creating Evergreen) approved by Governor Evans
7/l/67	Chapter 47 became effective
8/6/67	Members of Board of Trustees appointed (Roger Camp - replaced by Herbert D. Hadley in 10/68 (after Camp's death), Halvor M. Halvorson , Al E. Saunders, Trueman L. (Bink) Schmidt, Mary Ellen McCaffree - recalled and replaced before the 2nd meeting by Janet L. Tourtellotte)
8/23/67	Organizational meeting of Board of Trustees: State Senator Gordon Sandison (co-sponsor of bill creating college) tells the Board that it was not the intent of the Legislature that the new school be just another four-year college, that it was a unique opportunity to meet the needs of the students of today and the future because the planning would not be bound by any rigid structure of tradition. At this meeting, Governor Evans reviewed the appropriations for the new college - $905,000 for the site and $500,000 for start-up expenses; and $I 5,000,000 for the first phase of construction (Bond Issue approved by the voters in November, 1967.
12/l/67	Site selected from 21 choices
12/15/67	Dean Clabaugh named as full-time executive assistant to trustees [interim executive direction]. Prior to this time, the Secretary of the Senate, Ward Bowden, served in the capacity on a temporary, part-time basis) Assignments - study presidential search procedures, set up procedure appropriate to Evergreen; help engage consultants; purchasing, payroll procedures; begin budget work; collect information for Board.
1/10/68	Formal presidential search inaugurated
1/24/68	The Evergreen State College selected as name (from among 31 choices)
March, 1968	Master plan consultants chosen: Joint venture architect-engineers (Durham-Quinton ) site planning consultants Educational program consultants (Arthur D. Little, Inc .)
4/23/68	First parcel of property purchased
8/15/68	Charles J. McCann (Dean of Faculty at CWSU) selected President (began duties November 1, 1968)
10/16/68	Durham, Anderson & Freed appointed architects for Library
11/l/68	Charles J. McCann assumed presidency
11/20/68	First property condemnations authorized
11/20/68	Phase I site master plan completed
Fall, 1968	Academic advisory committee chosen; Final review of site development plan; Library planning (conferences)
Winter-Spring, 1969	National Advisory committee formed - goals; Study possible modes of faculty time uses, given assumed level of funding and possible approaches as considered by advisory committee; Analysis of computer needs begun; academic, administrative, business-finance; Student housing, food services conferences; Recruiting - (1) facilities (Jerry Schillinger), (2) library (James Holly), (3) vice president for business (Dean Clabaugh ), (4) vice president and provost (David Barry), (5) executive vice president (Joseph Shoben), (6) computer (Robert Barringer)
Summer-Fall, 1969	Above people arrive in order numbered; 6/9/69 - Governor Evans breaks ground with a bulldozer for the library building; Discussions: How goals bear specifically upon continuing development of operations systems and further recruiting.
Winter-Spring, 1970	Site clearing ends; Construction begins, Phase 1; Science facilities conference; Admissions planning; Facilities planning, Phase 11 Recruiting "deans" (Mervyn Cadwallader/Donald Humphrey/Charles Teske) - who, assist in recruiting faculty
Fall, 1970	18 Founding faculty hired (Bill Aldridge, Richard Alexander, Bob Barnard, Richard Brian, Beryl Crowe , Larry Eickstaedt, David Hitchens, Will Humphreys, Richard Jones, Rudy Martin, Bob Sluss, Fred Tabbutt, Willi Unsoeld, Jack Webb, Sid White, Al Wiedemann, Fred Young, Byron Youtz)
Summer, 1970 - Summer, 1971	Recruit second half of operating faculty Final operations systems Detailed academic planning (subject options, student: instructor, laboratory, library contacts)
Fall, 1971	Opened September 27, 1971 prior to completion of buildings, w/ 59 faculty and 1,178 students (first day of class 10/4/71) Library Building came on line November, 1971
12/6/71	Evergreen's student newspaper, The Paper (now the Cooper Point Journal ) publishes first issue
4/21/72	In a dual ceremony amidst anit-war protests, President McCann is inaugurated and TESC is dedicated to the citizens of Washington
6/2/72	The first 21 graduates of Evergreen receive their diplomas
I/l/73	Evergreen's community radio station, KAOS-FM, goes on the air at IO watts
6/21/74	According Evergreen a rare honor, the Northwest Association of Secondary & Higher Schools grants TESC full accreditation a year ahead of schedule
6/8/75	The 400 graduates participating in commencement exercises include 118 four-year "pioneers"
11/74	Eleanor Lee '73 becomes the first Evergreen graduate to be elected to the State Legislature
9/15/76	President McCann announces plans to retire from presidency in June, 1977
9/76	Evergreen begins an outreach program for upper-division students in Vancouver in cooperation with Clark Community College
From 1976 to 1977	Evening and Weekend Studies and an external credit program were added to the curriculum
6/16/77	Former Governor Daniel J. Evans becomes second president

Sources:

Information recorded by Dean E. Clabaugh (Interim Executive Director and then Vice President for Business)
12/3/69 for report to Council on Higher Education
"A History" prepared by Malcolm Stilson in November, 1985
"20 Years of Making a Difference" 1967-87 published in 1987
A review of the original Board of Trustees minute files

Link to Evergreen's Board of Trustees

THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS - obviously!

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E-mail:stilsonr@evergreen.edu
Last modified: 10/9/1995