The Evergreen State College looks to extend president’s contract, selects cell tower vendor

The Evergreen State College’s Board of Trustees took action on Friday that could result in a contract extension for interim President John Carmichael.

The possible contract extension was one of a number of topics the board heard during a meeting that lasted most of the day.

Chairwoman Karen Fraser pointed out that Carmichael’s two-year contract expires in June 2023. But rather than launch another national search for president, which takes about a year, she recommended they explore an extension with him because the timing of a search would not be good for the college.

“The college has a lot of major initiatives under way and adding a presidential search would not be helpful,” she said, adding that the college also needs to find a provost.

Looking for a new president and provost at the same time also would be a challenge, Fraser said.

The board agreed and voted to direct Fraser to explore an extension, then return to the board with a recommended course of action. Community input will be part of the process, she said.

Carmichael, previously the college’s vice president of finance and operations, was named interim president in June 2021 after three finalists for the job of college president withdrew their names from consideration.

He teed up Friday’s board meeting by saying the college was in the middle of a two-year effort to stabilize the college, enrollment and staffing and lay the groundwork for growth.

“I encourage you to see it in that frame,” Carmichael said.

Other topics that came before the board.

Cell Tower

The college has long wanted to improve cell phone coverage on its Olympia campus.

Last year two cell tower vendors approached the college about placing a tower on its property. The college, through a committee, reviewed about 20 possible locations and narrowed it down to a preferred spot next to the athletic fields, The Olympian reported.

Chief Administrative Officer William Ward announced Friday that the college has selected AT&T as its vendor, who he said gives the college the “best opportunity to have the cell tower move forward.”

The college does not have a contract in place with AT&T just yet, although those discussions are about to begin, Ward said.

Leavelle House

Ward also provided an update on Leavelle House, a single-family home off Cooper Point Road that was previously used by school presidents, including former President George Bridges. The college is now trying to sell the property.

It is currently listed with the state Department of Enterprise Services, giving other state agencies first crack at possibly using the property. That listing comes to an end in June, Ward said. After that, the college is prepared to work with a real estate agent to sell the property.

The college has engaged an agent who will look to improve the property to get the most out of it, he said.

Improving morale

The college’s senior leadership met in March to discuss ways of improving staff morale, Executive Vice President Dexter Gordon told the board.

One of those ways is to “lean in” on the fair treatment of staff, making sure they have manageable work loads, clear job roles, clear and consistent communication and support from managers and reasonable expectations to do their jobs.

“We want to make sure we hit the key points,” he said.

Fundraising

The Art of Giving Gala and Auction, the college’s signature fundraising event, raised more money earlier this month in Tacoma than it ever has before, Vice President of Advancement Abby Kelso said.

Prior to the pandemic, the most the event had ever raised was $315,000, but this time the college raised $433,000, Kelso said.

The money is mostly used for scholarships, but also on graduate programs, Evergreen’s Tacoma campus and the college’s Native Pathways program, she said.

School of Professional and Continuing Education

The board also received an update on the School of Professional and Continuing Education, the recently approved series of academic and professional certificate programs that the college hopes will drive enrollment higher.

The full roll out of the new school is not supposed to begin until the 2023-24 school year. However, the college has a number of programs for the 2022-23 school year that will lead up to that moment, said Lori Blewett, acting dean of the school.

The college is ready to launch 15 undergraduate academic certificates and is planning several professional certificates in the following areas: advanced tribal relations, tribal governance leadership training, special education and a supervisor certificate that involves the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce.

Blewett said the college has heard from other organizations that have an interest in certificate programs as well, such as the state Department of Labor and Industries.

For more about the certificate programs, go to: https://www.evergreen.edu/certificates.