How Evergreen changed society

 How did a small liberal arts college, on the outskirts of a small state capitol, tucked away in the corner of the country, spread a social revolution that changed politics and the future?

That’s The Evergreen State College story.

Founded in 1967 and opened to students in 1971, the college was charged by the Washington State legislature to “be different.”  The college embraced that charge.

Founding faculty members, many from the East Coast and New England, remade the idea of a college.  Professors were to teach, not write and do research.  To make certain that they held to that concept,  there were no permanent deans who were replaced after a period of time and eventually returned to teaching.  There were no “schools”.  Every year the teaching curriculum could and would change.  Teaching would be in a coordinated system with several students and several teachers with differing expertise working together

There were no mandatory classes and no grades.  Students would study in the areas that interested them.  Professors would evaluate each student.  The student in turn would evaluate each professor,  Upon graduating the student would have a portfolio of his/her work which would substitute for a GPA.

Over-arching all this, was a progressive concept that put skills into the hands of the individuals who would work through existing stables of power to make government more responsive to the over-all good of society.

Many other colleges around the country have been in similar situations with an ability to educate students in the progressive vein.  But those were often private colleges.  What made Evergreen so unusual  is that it was a public college, funded by government.  Because of all that it developed the power of influencing government policy on a national level?

First – it was a small college, without any historical perspective on how a college should be run.  The policies it adopted allowed the school to change with the upheavals of the 1960’s and 70’s.

Second – It was located in a small state capitol city, which at the time of founding had less than 30,000 residents and was located in an urban area of less than 150,000.  As time went on, the number of students graduating from the college and staying in the community had a level of impact far beyond most colleges.

Evergreen has more than 40,000 graduates.  A significant portion of them – perhaps as many as half – have stayed in the community.  The unique make-up of the student-body has contributed to the relatively “home base” of its graduates.  Early on the school attracted women and many classes were oriented towards those women.  Many women were first-time college students or women returning to college and many of them had family in the community.

Because state government often required a college degree to advance up the pay scale, it encouraged its employees to take classes and many of them did.  And, after having graduated, many of them went back to work for government.

Third –  As they worked their way up the ladder in state government, these “Greeners” and their “liberal” philosophy began to influence the course of state government.  The influence of these Greeners was significant.

Because the college was located in a small state capitol, the 20,000 graduates who remain in Thurston County exert tremendous influence in their jobs.  Many of those graduates are in top management position  Because state government is the primary job source, the influence of the college on the future of the state is tremendous, as its history over the last 50 years clearly shows

If the college had been located in a large metropolitan area its impact  would not be extensive.   If the state capitol had been located in a large metro area, then the college’s impact would have been insignificant.  But with a liberal arts college located in a community of around 150,000 (at the time) and with state government as the major source of employment, The Evergreen State College has driven the political bent of the State of Washington.

While most of the impact is done in the halls of state agencies it’s difficult to quantify just how extensive the influence has become.  But Evergreen’s impact on the state was made almost as soon as the college opened its doors in 1971.

Jolene Unsoeld, wife of founding faculty member Willi Unsoeld (and later Congresswoman) began the effort to create a Public Disclosure Commission.  With Initiative 276 she was successful.  Other initiatives to change state government and open it to scrutiny followed.

Vote By Mail and Top Two Primaries are just the most visible of actions taken by Washington State that can be traced back to those who work for state government, which emanates from Olympia.

These public changes were only the most visible of the impacts of Greeners on state government.   Agency policies after agency policies followed.

Because the capital of  state government is in Olympia, many advocacy groups have an office near the state capitol.  Many of those are staffed by Greeners who didn’t go to work directly with government  and became lobbyists and advocates for various positions.  Often they worked with people in state government with whom they went to school.

Evergreen’s educational bent can be seen by its advanced degree programs – Public Administration, Environmental Studies, Education.  Students who graduate from the school with master degrees in those areas of education usually go into government.  And, that  government headquarters is in Olympia.

Evergreen’s curriculum also encouraged women to go to school, or go back to school.  Women studies programs helped working women and single moms to transition into public policy jobs.   These classes and the resulting number of educated women gave them an access  into government work.  Social programs oriented around education, childcare and health then became main priorities of  state government.

By the beginning of the 21st Century Washington State was the leader in progressive government. Other states began to adopt its own policies that echoed those coming out of Olympia and the State of Washington  Leadership in our current social movement can be laid at the foot of The Evergreen State College and its thousands of graduates working for state and local government.