public institution in Olympia, Wash., on the southernmost tip of Puget Sound. The 1,000-acre (405-hectare) campus is located in a forest and contains an organic farm. The university also owns waterfront property. The college was founded in 1967 and awards bachelor's and master's degrees. Enrollment consists of roughly 3,500 undergraduates and 300 graduate students, most of whom come from either Washington or Oregon. More than 30 percent of the undergraduates are over the age of 25. About a third of the students live in campus housing. Evergreen offers an innovative undergraduate program of coordinated and contracted studies. During each ten-week quarter, students enroll in a single interdisciplinary program that looks at a topic from a variety of perspectives. There are no required classes. Instead, faculty members help students design their own concentrations within disciplines such as liberal arts and sciences, education, community service, visual and performing arts, area and ethnic studies, and business. Students receive a narrative evaluation at the term's end rather than a traditional grade. About three fourths of Evergreen's full-time faculty hold doctorates. The college does not have a tenure system. Evergreen helps interested students secure internships. The college also has exchange arrangements with some universities in Japan. About 15 to 20 percent of Evergreen's students pursue advanced studies directly after graduation. The college's own graduate programs are in teaching, public administration, and environmental studies. Students can participate in a variety of extracurricular activities, including a minority students' union, the campus radio station, musical and theatrical groups, and the student newspaper. Varsity sports teams compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The college's mascot is an 8-foot (2.4-meter) clam. A traditional event at Evergreen is Super Saturday, a community fair held the day before graduation |