As classes begin, take a fresh look at Evergreen

As a new school year begins, The Evergreen State College is likely to be a topic of conversation in Thurston County once again. I received my bachelor's degree from Evergreen in the 1970s. It gave me a good grounding for my later work in the Legislature and as president of TVW. Today, Evergreen is definitely worth talking about -- as a major source of vitality for our community.

Evergreen supports our state's aspirations of upward mobility for working families. Nearly 80 percent of Evergreen's 4,300 undergraduates are Washington residents; most from Western Washington and many from rural communities. More than one-third have family incomes below the federal poverty level. One-fifth are first generation college students. More than 100 are veterans or currently in the military.

In establishing Evergreen back in 1967, the Legislature wanted to improve quality in higher education by looking beyond traditional academic approaches. They succeeded.

Evergreen's interdisciplinary approach -- teaching topics together around a theme — helps students understand connections and encourages independent thinking. According to recent national surveys, Evergreen students read more, write more, spend more time preparing for class, make more class presentations, participate in more community-based projects and engage more actively with faculty and each other than students at the vast majority of colleges and universities nationwide. In many cases, Evergreen is in the top 10 percent.

Evergreen is one of just two public colleges highlighted in the book "Colleges That Change Lives." It also makes numerous "top colleges" lists and wins award after award for its leadership in sustainability.

Perhaps most heartening, in these difficult times, is Evergreen's economic benefit to our community and region. More than 80 percent of students are employed within a year of graduation in positions critical to Washington's economic future. Most of the remainder are in graduate school.

A quick look at the Evergreen alumni directory shows more than 1,000 alumni each in arts and media, business, science, counseling and social work, computer science, environmental professions, health and medicine. Another 3,000 are in education. Twelve percent of alumni start a small business within one year of graduation.

By the time they graduate, more than one-third of Evergreen students will have done volunteer work to help the poor, feed the hungry, teach youths in prison or improve the environment. Students provide more than 19,000 hours of service each year. Beyond service commitments and providing labor for local businesses through work and internships (about half of students work while going to school), Evergreen students spend an average of $11,000 per year on rent, food, transportation and other living expenses -- most locally.

With 4,300 students, that adds up to $47 million a year.

The college also enriches our cultural landscape. It offers music and theatre performances, serves as a hub for American Indian art and culture, and brings nationally acclaimed thinkers to Olympia. In recent years, these included poet Maya Angelou, astrophysicist and "Nova Science Now" host Neil deGrasse Tyson, and civil rights leader the Rev. James Lawson, among others.

Evergreen was worth talking about when it was created, and is even more noteworthy today. It's a positive part of our community's history and our region's future.

Denny Heck is a former state legislator, chief clerk of the House of Representatives, chief of staff to Gov. Booth Gardner, founder and retired chief executive officer of TVW, the state's public affairs television network.