Tacoma Campus History

1970

The Evergreen State College opened its doors in Olympia with a mandate to serve undergraduate students in Washington state in new and innovative ways.

1972

At the request of members of Tacoma's African-American community, Dr. Maxine Mimms, an Evergreen faculty member, took this mandate seriously and focused on developing an educational program that would serve place-bound working adult students there.

A clear focus on serving the educational needs of urban, African-American adult learners combined with an interest in teaching inner-city adults, led to the founding principles of the Tacoma Campus program.

1982

Evergreen-Tacoma was formally established on the corner of Martin Luther King Way and 12th Street under the leadership of Dr. Mimms.

The interim executive director, Dr. Tyrus Smith, continues to refine and perpetuate the program's unique accomplishments.

"Evergreen-Tacoma opened its doors to me to reach my goal. It provided me with educational support, encouraged me to keep going and most importantly, provided a special family environment. I thought it would be difficult to find a college where the faculty and staff would care so personally about my education, and me, but I found it at Evergreen-Tacoma." -Maria Silva, Student

Evergreen's Tacoma program is now located in a wonderful new facility at 1210 6th Avenue.