evergreen

Governor Jay Inslee has appointed Pamela MacEwan to Board of Trustees for The Evergreen State College. 

MacEwan recently retired from her role as CEO of the Washington Health Benefit Exchange where she helped lead the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Washington state, standing up a unique health exchange for consumers and making health care available for thousands of previously uninsured Washingtonians. Under her leadership, the Exchange launched the first public option health insurance program in the nation and won federal permission to use the Exchange to cover undocumented workers.

“I’ve always wanted to have the opportunity to reinvest some of what Evergreen invested in me as a student,” MacEwan said. “Enrollment numbers are continuing to move in the right direction and serving on the Board during such a time of reawakening for not only the college but everywhere, is an honor.”

“Pam is the epitome of who Evergreen students are,” said Dr. John Carmichael, “She took what she learned during her days as a student at the Olympia campus and turned it into a lifetime of public service – a service that continues even after her retirement. We are excited to have her return to the college as a Board of Trustee member.”

She was previously Senior Vice President for Public Affairs and a member of the executive leadership team at Group Health Cooperative for 16 years, where she led policy, governmental relations, communications, media relations, consumer governance, and government programs strategy. Her prior roles in health care included serving as a Commissioner on the State Health Services Commission and leading a statewide coalition effort to pass comprehensive health reform legislation.  
 
She is a proud graduate of the Evergreen State College, class of 1976.  She has a Master of Arts in Teaching from Brown University and studied public administration in the MPA program at the University of Washington.  She lives in Seattle with her husband, John (Spider) Burbank, a 1977 Evergreen graduate. They enjoy biking and cross-country skiing and spending time with their two adult children - Megan, a journalist, and Owen, a software engineer.

For more information on Evergreen's Board of Trustees, visit the college's Board webpage.

The Evergreen State College announced they have been selected as an education partner for Amazon’s Career Choice program, providing Amazon’s hourly employees' access to undergraduate degrees. 

“The Evergreen State College is excited to become a part of Amazon’s career choice program,” said Evergreen's President John Carmichael. “This program removes barriers to education and provides pre-paid tuition for Amazon employees to learn new skills for career success. Providing a pathway for expanding an employee’s educational path is an amazing investment.”

The Evergreen State College is a place dedicated to empowerment, collaboration, creative problem solving and making unlikely connections that change the way we see the world. It is a place flexible enough to adapt to society’s challenges and prepares people to confidently meet their futures. The college offers unique programs and schedules for adult learners as well as internships, individual learning contracts, the Professional and Continuing Education Program and a new Early Childhood Education program at the Tacoma campus.

Amazon’s Career Choice program is an educational benefit that empowers employees to learn new skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere. The program meets individual learners where they are on their education journey through a variety of education and upskilling opportunities including pre-paid college tuition, industry certifications designed to lead to in-demand jobs, and foundational skills such as English language proficiency, high school diplomas, and GEDs. In the U.S., the company is investing $1.2 billion to upskill more than 300,000 employees by 2025 to help move them into higher-paying, in-demand jobs. 

Amazon’s Career Choice program has a rigorous selection process for third-party partner educators, choosing partners focused on helping employees through their education programs, assisting them with job placements, and offering education that leads to career success. 

“We’re looking forward to The Evergreen State College coming on board as an education partner for Career Choice, adding to the hundreds of best-in-class offerings available to our employees,” said Tammy Thieman, Global Program Lead of Amazon’s Career Choice program. “We’re committed to empowering our employees by providing them access to the education and training they need to grow their careers, whether that’s with us or elsewhere. We have intentionally created a partner network of third-party educators and employers committed to providing excellent education, job placement resources, and continuous improvements to the experience. Today, over 130,000 Amazon employees around the world have participated in Career Choice and we’ve seen first-hand how it can transform their lives.” 

For more information on Evergreen’s partnership with Amazon’s Career Choice, visit https://info.evergreen.edu/college-partnership-amazon-career-choice?hs_preview=wrIJsRYq-110007574327
###

OLYMPIA – The Evergreen State College’s two-day Equity Symposium takes place this Wednesday and Thursday, April 19 and 20. Each year, this event brings the Evergreen community together with speakers, performances, workshops and social events to inspire, teach and celebrate.

This year’s theme is “You Are Enough: Healing Towards Belonging and Collective Liberation.” Students, staff and faculty will have the opportunity to attend sessions over the two days that symposium planners aim to continue building a vision of equity, belonging and social justice across the college’s two campuses and beyond. 

The symposium starts at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 19 with Dr. Leticia Nieto who will lead an interactive plenary session until noon at the House of Welcome. Then for the next two days, Greeners will have their choice of several different sessions on topics from how to heal our relationship with the community post-pandemic, disability justice, how to engage some of the tensions around anti-racism work, to an Evergreen beach walk and aquarium activity. 

Wednesday’s events conclude with the screening of the film Rhythms of the Land about Black farmers in the United States. At the end of the viewing, attendees will have the opportunity to talk with film director Dr. Gail P. Meyers. 

The keynote event at 7 p.m. on Thursday, in the auditorium, is open and free to the public and features author, poet, comedian and public speaker, ALOK. They are internationally acclaimed, and their work explores themes of trauma, belonging and the human condition. In recognition of their work, they have been honored as the inaugural LGBTQ Scholar in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania and awarded a GLAAD Media Award and Stonewall Foundation Visionary Award. Over the past decade, they have toured in more than 40 countries, most recently selling out their runs at the Soho Theatre in London, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and the Kennedy Performing Arts Center.

Although this event is free, tickets are required for entry. Ticket availability is limited as most of the 1,000 tickets have already been claimed. 

For more information about Evergreen’s Equity Symposium, please visit the website. 

###

The Evergreen State College was awarded the Thurston County Chamber’s Green Business of the Year for a big business at an award ceremony on Wednesday, April 12.  

The program assesses an applicant’s actions in seven key areas including: 

• Green Business Practices 
• Energy Efficiency 
• Transportation & Community Trip Reduction 
• Waste Reduction and Recycling 
• Water Conservation 
• Social Performance 
• Sustainable Product Lifecycle 

Evergreen has two campuses, one located on the shores of Eld Inlet and surrounded by a 1,000-acre forest, and the other is in Tacoma within the historic, urban Hilltop community. The college was established with sustainability in mind and a commitment to environmental education.  

“Since 1971, we have been intentional about our campuses, being mindful of our built and natural environment, and constantly improving,” said Evergreen’s president, Dr. John Carmichael. “From our designated LEED gold-certified buildings, forest ecology, beach and salmon restoration projects, to the sustainable values woven into our business practices and academic curriculum in the classroom, it is a distinct honor to have the hard work of the college to be good stewards of the environment recognized with this award.” 
 
Evergreen walks its talk around environmental stewardship by generating 35,000 kWh of solar power on an annual basis; is proud to be a 100 percent green power customer for both of its campuses; hosts electric vehicle charging stations; supports an active and engaged student-led Clean Energy Committee that supports the creation of models for climate solutions through collaborative on-campus research;  deploys energy efficiency endeavors, recycling and composting programs in most buildings. A team of dedicated students, staff, and faculty are continuously learning and implementing new sustainability practices.  

In recent years, Evergreen established two new centers – the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and Transformational Change developing social and sustainable businesses, entrepreneurial, and leadership skills, as well as the Center for Climate Action and Sustainability which focuses on just and equitable solutions to the climate crisis and a hub where students, faculty, staff and the surrounding community can come together in search of new ideas and solutions.The two centers continue to collaborate on climate change, sustainability, business, public policy, and more throughout Evergreen’s curriculum and beyond. Evergreen’s campus has over 700 acres of preserved, undeveloped lands that students use as a living laboratory and the college’s Master of Environmental Studies program provides a learning environment that invokes creativity and prepares the next generation of critical thinkers with the research skills required for professional environmental action work.  

To learn more about The Evergreen State College, please visit evergreen.edu.  

John Howard, Emeritus Professor of Arts and Humanities at King’s College London, Queer Studies scholar and author will be in Olympia and featured at two events on April 7 and 10, one of which is at The Evergreen State College.

Professor Howard will be featured at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 7 at the Olympia Film Society’s screening and discussion of “Electra,” (1964). Students showing their Evergreen ID can get tickets for $9.00. 

He will then come to Evergreen’s Purce Hall at 3 p.m., Monday, April 10 for a public lecture titled, “Doing Queer History: Here and Now.”

Dr. Howard is the head of the Department of American Studies at King’s College London and is the author of eight books including his latest work, Truths of his Sleeve: The Times of Michael Cacoyannis (2022) and Men Like That: A Southern Queer History (2001). 

“For the last 30 years, John Howard has shown with his work that the adage ‘we’re here, we’re queer,’ coined in 1990, really meant, ‘we’re not only here; we’re everywhere,” said Dr. Nancy Koppelman, Evergreen faculty member and sponsor of the Dr. Howard event, “Everywhere included places where no one seemed to be looking.”

Dr. Howard is interested in the historical production of human differences and their attendant inequalities. His work also assesses differences as productive mechanisms of affiliation, identity, coalition, and struggle. Informed by queer, feminist, materialist, critical race, and spatial theory, his research and teaching primarily engage with the categories now known as sexuality, gender, class, race, and region.

His work has received awards and commendations from the American Sociological Association, American Studies Association, Arts and Humanities Research Council, British Academy, Delfina Studio Trust, Fulbright Commission, Rockefeller Foundation, and King’s College London Students’ Union, among others.

###

Dr. Maxine Mimms will be celebrated 4-8 p.m., Saturday, March 4 at The Evergreen State College’s Tacoma Campus. This event doubles as a Founder’s Day event and a birthday celebration for the Evergreen, Tacoma founder. 

Dr. Mimms began teaching at The Evergreen State College in 1972. She started teaching working adults college-level coursework at her kitchen table in the historic Hilltop neighborhood and it was at that table where Evergreen’s Tacoma Campus was born.  

Evergreen-Tacoma became an official campus for The Evergreen State College in 1982 and in 2001 it moved to its current location of 1210 6th Avenue.  

Dr. Mimms developed the Tacoma program with a deliberate mission to provide a college education to working and adult learners – especially those living in the inner city.  

“Dr. Mimms is the essence of community and her vision of transforming the life of the community she lives in is something that should be celebrated not just in collaboration with her birthday, but every day,” said Dr. Dexter Gordon, Executive Vice President for The Evergreen State College. “At 95 years young, she still works tenaciously to remove educational and economic barriers and make college available where and to whom, it historically wasn’t.” 

“Her work has resulted in college degrees for thousands who have walked through the doors of Evergreen, Tacoma,” shared Dr. Marcia Tate Arunga, Dean for Evergreen, Tacoma. “The faculty and staff strive every day to continue her living legacy to the students of Evergreen’s Tacoma campus and the Hilltop community.” 

Attendees at the Founder’s Day celebrations will enjoy music, spoken word and of course, be part of the birthday honors for Dr. Maxine Mimms who is turning 95.  

To learn more about Evergreen’s Tacoma campus, please visit its website.  

##  

Chibi Chibi Con, Evergreen’s colorful and free anime festival, returns to the college tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 25 for its 22nd year. 

The event will run from noon to 11 p.m. Admission to Chibi Chibi Con is free, which makes it an inviting, low-barrier opportunity to explore anime convention culture. As a health precaution, attendees again this year will have to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter. Masks are not required but people are encouraged to wear them, especially in crowded areas. 

This convention has been produced by Evergreen students since 2001. Currently named the Chibi Chibi Con Committee, the group is one of the college’s longest-enduring registered student organizations.

Though the name Chibi Chibi loosely translates from Japanese to mean “Little Little,” Chibi Chibi Con is the largest one-day anime convention in the Pacific Northwest. Organizers estimate that the convention had over 3,000 attendees last year. 

This year’s convention will feature favorite events from past years – including the Cosplay Contest and lip sync battles. There will be three food trucks on Red Square for attendees wanting to snack. The convention’s popular Artist Alley is also back, offering handmade and hard-to-find merchandise.

The Evergreen State College’s Olympia campus is located at 2700 Evergreen Pkwy NW. Visit the convention website for maps, schedules, policies and information on volunteering.

OLYMPIA – The Evergreen State College has hired another exceptional coach to start up its wrestling teams. 

Evergreen is now the only four-year college in Washington to offer a wrestling program and Fan Zhang will be leading the women’s team for its inaugural season. 

“We are excited that Fan has chosen to bring his coaching talent to Evergreen,” said Zeb Hoffman, Assistant Intercollegiate Athletic Director for The Evergreen State College. “His history of building champions as well as his experience as a wrestler is exactly what we need to build a top-notch, wrestling program.”

Zhang has been the head coach for women’s wrestling at Simpson University (CA) and Grays Harbor College here in Washington and assistant coach at Wartburg College in Iowa.  He also was the coach for the Iowa women’s wrestling national team for Fargo. His coaching has led to several national championships.   

As a wrestler in China, Zhang was a seven-time, national champion. 

Evergreen announced it would be starting teams for men’s and women’s wrestling and cross country late last year to complement the college’s men’s and women’s soccer, basketball, track and field and women’s volleyball teams. 

In late December, Evergreen announced that Greg Ford, Jr. had been hired on as the men’s wrestling team coach and the college hosted a signing event where 20 wrestlers signed letters of intent to become Geoducks. 

Coach John Lane, well-known in the wrestling community with over three decades of coaching under his belt, will be on board to help Coach Zhang and Ford as they build their wrestling teams. 

“This new wrestling program at Evergreen is a great thing for the community,” said Lane. “With the coaching staff being brought on, we have the foundation to build a champion team as well as give wrestlers from Washington state the opportunity to wrestle and attend a four-year college without moving out of state.”

For more info about Evergreen athletics visit www.gogeoducks.com. To learn more about The Evergreen State College, visit evergreen.edu.

###
 

Olympia – The Science Stories exhibit will be available from now until March 24 at The Evergreen State College’s Library.

The exhibit which brings together scientists and book artists from the Pacific Northwest together, has been touring colleges across Washington and is now at the Evergreen Library. The exhibit is divided into broad topics which include water, ice, mountains, flora, fauna and human health. 

There will an opening reception from 4-6 p.m. on Thursday, January 19 in the Evans Hall Library. The reception will feature three curators for Science Stories: Dr. Lucia Harrison, Jane Carlin and Dr. Peter Wimberger. 

For more information about the exhibit please contact rarebooks@evergreen.edu or visit the website.
 

OLYMPIA – The Board of Trustees for The Evergreen State College is set to hold its first regular meeting for 2023 on Friday, January 13.   

The hybrid meeting will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and agenda items include an update on the college’s strategic plan regarding student academic success and support, as well as continuing to strengthen the college’s financial position.   

There is also an action item for the Board to consider approval for the establishment of a new Prison Education Program.   

Evergreen has a long-standing history in expanding prison education in Washington state starting back in 1996 with the Gateways for Incarcerated Youth, which was founded by college alum and faculty emerita, Dr. Carol Minugh along with Green Hill School staff, and the Sustainability in Prisons Project, which was founded by former Evergreen faculty member Dr. Nalini Nadkarni and alum Dan Pacholke.  

Board approval would direct faculty and staff to develop a proposal according to the accreditation process  required for Pell-funded prison education programs. Beginning July 1, 2023, all incarcerated students who are enrolled in eligible programs will once again be able to apply for Pell grants, thus increasing access to a college education.   

“We are very excited for the Board’s consideration of this new program,” said Evergreen’s president Dr. John Carmichael. “The first line of the college’s social contract reads, ‘The Evergreen State College is an institution and a community that continues to organize itself so that it clears away obstacles to learning,’ and establishing this new program that would meet the requirements to allow for access to Pell grant funding, which clearly helps eliminate some of the barriers that exist for incarcerated students.”  

Expanding access to college credits in prison is a widely recognized equity strategy that can help individuals build strong foundations for themselves and the communities where they live both during and after incarceration. In a recent cost-benefit analysis, the Washington State Institute for Public Policy has determined that for every $1 invested in college behind bars, the public stands to accrue $19.74 in benefits. College education also helps reduce recidivism in formerly incarcerated individuals.   
“What we hope is that with the Board’s permission, we can build a new program that helps improve the future for students, their families, and the communities they live in,” explained Dr. Dexter Gordon, executive vice president for Evergreen. “Ninety-five percent of people incarcerated are released – a college education allows for them to be better positioned to secure employment, find stable housing, and provide for their families upon their release.”  

The new program must address the requirements for Pell grant eligibility which is established by the U.S. Department of Education, and the Northwest Commission of Colleges and Universities. Evergreen’s prison education program will be developed in coordination and collaboration with the Washington Department of Corrections, the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, and as well as many other community partners. Another Board approval would be necessary once the final program proposal is developed in advance of it moving forward for submission to the Northwest Commission of Colleges and Universities and the U.S. Department of Education.   

More information about Evergreen’s Board of Trustees meeting can be found on the college’s website.

 ###