Freshmen Arrive at Evergreen: Enrollment Up Markedly at College

By Diane Huber, The Olympian, Olympia, Wash.

Sep. 16–OLYMPIA — The Evergreen State College was bustling Saturday as freshmen lugged suitcases, boxes and small refrigerators into their dorm rooms.

The 697 freshmen enrolled make up the school’s largest-ever freshman class. They have a week of orientation activities before class begins Sept. 24.

As of Friday, 4,248 students were enrolled at Evergreen, a 4 percent increase from last year. The number of new students — both freshmen and transfer students — increased 7 percent. Graduate school enrollment also is up almost 10 percent.

“We’re pleased that our enrollments are strong across the board,” the college’s marketing director Todd Sprague said.

Three-quarters of Evergreen students are Washington residents, and the majority of new students transferred from Washington community colleges, Sprague said. He noted that final registration numbers will be tallied after Oct. 5, the 10th day of class.

He said the large freshman class, which is about 100 students more than last year’s, won’t affect class sizes, which average 23 students.

But residence halls and other campus housing, which accommodate 980 students, are full. The school will help identify off-campus options for about 35 students on a waiting list.

Sprague cited recruitment efforts and national recognition in several college guides as reasons for the increase.

“We have a lot of recognition for the model of teaching,” he said. “The visibility of the college has improved over time.”

Evergreen was recognized as one of 40 “Colleges That Change Lives” by a college-ranking Web site of the same name. It also was recognized as a top green college by the American Association for Sustainability in Higher Education and noted in several other college guides.

Recruiters visited more high schools in recent years, and the school increased its number of college information nights. Evergreen also started a program in which students call prospective students to answer questions and talk about the college.

Freshmen said they liked the laid-back atmosphere and unique education style; Evergreen offers an evaluation system rather than letter grades and allows students to design their own majors.

“(At Evergreen) it’s not so much about letters. It’s that they offer you advice and help you go further,” said Pam Lyons of Issaquah, who moved in Saturday with the help of her sister and uncle.

She said the laid-back campus fits her personality.

Kelsey Tanner of San Antonio said she looked at several small liberal-arts schools, and Evergreen made a good impression when she visited in March.

“It’s beautiful. The people are friendly. It’s more like a community than a campus,” she said.

Diane Huber is a reporter for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-357-0204 or dhuber@theolympian.com.

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