Our faculty, staff and students accomplished tremendous work in the 2012-13 academic year. We continued to build upon and learn from our Academic Statement Initiative, which gives students more tools and support to plan, pursue, reflect upon and articulate their Evergreen education. Renovations of the Communications Building and Lab I moved ahead. We also strengthened relations with

legislators, bolstered by our ability to present convincing data about Evergreen’s successes with students and our contributions to the state economy.

The college’s fundraising success was extraordinary, effectively engaging alumni and supporters passionate about the college and its work.

Building on the success of our 40th anniversary Return to Evergreen celebration in 2012, the Foundation created 31 new scholarships this year. As part of that, we raised $1.5 million in gifts to be matched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and finished the year with more than $2.6 million in contributions. That exceeded last year’s total by about 6 percent and doubled our 10-year fundraising average.

This success was matched by new funding coming to the college through our academic grants programs. These programs include a new $500,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This will expand and replicate the Gateways for Incarcerated Youth program. We are also poised to receive $500,000 from the Ford Foundation which will support the Longhouse’s engagement with our tribal communities. The new Carving Studio is a tangible reminder of the role that these very important private support relationships play in advancing our college’s valuable mission of teaching and public service.

As we prepare to have a series of discussions about the college’s future in our upcoming strategic planning process, I am inspired by the prospect of engaging with long term members of our Evergreen community and hearing new voices and ideas from students and the many faculty and staff who were not here when I began my tenure as president 13 years ago. While we have many challenges ahead, Evergreen’s tradition of innovation will serve us well as we adapt to a changing environment and evolving student needs.

Thomas L. “Les” Purce President
The Evergreen State College