Campus News
Growing Permanent Roots in Tacoma
After 15 years of leasing, Evergreen now has a permanent home in Tacoma. On December 1, 2015, the college purchased the nearly 33,000-square-foot building at 1210 6th Avenue, which has housed the Tacoma Program since 2001. The $12.5 million investment—financed with state-authorized bonds—“reflects Evergreen’s long and continuing commitment to serving our students in Tacoma and the Tacoma community,” said Evergreen President George Bridges. Evergreen’s Tacoma Program has been serving students in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood since 1982, allowing transfer students entering as juniors to finish their bachelor’s degree in just six quarters. The Tacoma Program is known for its convenience, flexibility, and diverse, close-knit community of cohort groups working to complete their degrees while motivating and supporting each other to the finish line.
The distinctive murals adorning Evergreen’s Tacoma building were created in partnership with Ndebele artists from South Africa, Evergreen staff and students, and the Hilltop community. Its symbols represent the neighborhood’s aspirations and values.
Rutgers Professor Headlines Unsoeld Series 2016 Lecture
On February 25, Deepa Kumar, Ph.D., associate professor of Media Studies and affiliated faculty in Middle Eastern Studies at Rutgers University, visited Evergreen as the 2016 Unsoeld Speaker. Kumar presented a talk entitled, “In Search of Monsters to Destroy,” Islamophobia, the War on Terror and U.S. Imperialism, which was attended by more than 200 students, faculty, staff, and community members, as well as by family members and former students of Willi Unsoeld.
Unsoeld was a founding faculty member, philosopher, theologian, and mountaineer. He was widely known for his first ascent of the West Ridge of Mt. Everest with Tom Hornbein, the first successful traverse of any Himalayan peak. For this feat, President John F. Kennedy presented them with the Hubbard Medal, the National Geographic Society’s highest honor. The annual Unsoeld Seminar is endowed as a living memorial in honor of Unsoeld, who lost his life in an avalanche on Mt. Rainier in 1979.
Diversity Series Addresses Equity in Education
The President’s Diversity Fund recently sponsored Coming Together, a six-week speaker series on race and privilege in higher education. Among the speakers were Robin DiAngelo, who spoke on Addressing Racial Microaggression in the Classroom, and Gyasi Ross, who discussed Saving the World: The Importance of Education Equity. Nearly 800 attended the series and more than 1,500 have viewed it online. Faculty members were also invited to weave the series into their academic programs as a teaching tool for discussing race and racism. View the series online.
Prison Obscura Exhibit Challenges Stereotypes
The Prison Obscura exhibit has been seen throughout the U.S., bringing attention to the growing population and humanity of incarcerated people. Photo by Ryan Richardson.
In February, The Evergreen Art Gallery hosted a traveling photography exhibit entitled, Prison Obscura. Prior to its stop in Olympia, the show was featured at several institutions throughout the U.S. including Haverford College, the University of Michigan, and Scripps College. Gallery director Ann Friedman said, “Prison Obscura calls upon its viewers to think deeply as they come face to face with the realities of prison life.” She noted that the exhibit demonstrated “the pervasiveness of prisons and the stresses of their ever-growing populations, while simultaneously asserting the humanity of incarcerated people and refusing to reduce them to symbols of a broken system.” Download the Prison Obscura catalog.
Evergreen Named a Top Five School for Volunteerism
In February, the Peace Corps ranked Evergreen fourth as a 2016 Top Volunteer-Producing College among small schools. Thirteen Evergreen grads are currently volunteering with the Peace Corp worldwide. Academic Dean Greg Mullins served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya in 1986-87 and said he was glad to learn that graduates continue to serve in high numbers. “The Evergreen–Peace Corps connection is a perfect fit. Both Evergreen and the Peace Corps attract creative, entrepreneurial people who want to make the world a better place than they found it.”
Evergreen Joins Prestigious Civic Engagement Organization, Project Pericles
The Evergreen State College recently joined the national consortium Project Pericles as a member institution. Founded in 2001 by Eugene M. Lang, an educational philanthropist, the Project Pericles’ mission is to incorporate social responsibility as an essential element of college and university education. It is a vibrant, 30-member-strong consortium of colleges and universities, including Bates College, Occidental College, and (now) Evergreen. Project Pericles Executive Director Jan Liss said the organization’s Board invited Evergreen to join based on the college’s commitment to civic engagement. Said Liss, “We are extremely pleased to have [Evergreen] join Project Pericles and we look forward to working with president George Bridges and the entire Evergreen community.”