Barbara and Charles McCann are photographed at their home in Tumwater, Washington, on Tuesday, January 15, 2008.

On Wednesday, July 8, founding president of The Evergreen State College Charles McCann passed away at his home in Olympia. He was 89 years old.

McCann was appointed to the Evergreen presidency by the college’s Board of Trustees in 1968 after the Washington State Legislature passed a bill in 1967 authorizing the college. He served as Evergreen’s president until 1977, when he stepped down to join the faculty and turn over the presidency to former Washington Governor, Daniel J. Evans. McCann continued to be involved with Evergreen after he retired from the faculty in 1991, teaching classes and establishing an endowed scholarship at the college, the Barbara and Charles McCann Scholarship.

Prior to working at Evergreen, McCann earned a Ph.D. in English from Yale University. He first joined the faculty at Central Washington State College (now Central Washington University) in 1956, where he progressed from an associate professorship to chairman of the Department of English. He became assistant to the president in 1965 and later, Dean of Faculty.Credited with leading the design of Evergreen’s unique educational model, McCann also hired founding faculty, oversaw the campus’ construction, opened the campus and graduated the first class of 21 students. Under his watch, Evergreen achieved accreditation one year ahead of schedule.

According to Evergreen’s Board of Trustees’ chair Fred Goldberg, who knew McCann from the time he took the lead to establish the college, “he had a wonderful sense of humor and he never veered from his goal.”

In 1996, McCann received an honorary Masters of Public Administration from Evergreen. In the faculty petition for the degree, S.R. (Rudy) Martin, Ph.D., described McCann as a visionary. “He specifically articulated his vision of what the college would become…” Martin went on to write, “During the McCann presidency, Evergreen became… a widely acknowledged leader in American innovative higher education.”

Tom Anderson, a graduate of Evergreen’s very first class, who now sits on the college Foundation’s Board of Governors, remembers McCann’s early years. “We would have potlucks (in the dorms) and it was not uncommon for Charlie to drop by for dinner. He was one of the most accessible ‘executives’ I ever met. To a 20 year old in 1971, he was talking my language.”

Washington State governor Jay Inslee made a statement on the passing of McCann. “Washington State lost an education pioneer with the passing of Charles McCann, the founding president of The Evergreen State College. Mr. McCann helped us all imagine a different sort of college that would allow students to learn in a new way. Evergreen likes to say that Geoducks do things a little bit better, or smarter, or just differently. They do. And that stems in large part from Mr. McCann’s vision of a place in the woods where a diverse faculty would teach diverse students through interdisciplinary, collaborative and team-taught programs. Trudi and I join Greeners everywhere in sending our condolences to Mr. McCann’s family and friends.”

The Olympian also provided coverage.

The college will raise a black flag as a sign of respect and mourning.

A private service is planned by his family.

Links from the Evergreen Archives

Institutional Goals/Statement of Purpose

This link will have the first year catalog’s message to students from President McCann in it at the beginning.  If you go to the same page where this link originates you can also get the other six catalogs and the President’s messages for each of the years that Charlie was president.

McCann’s Capital City Press Club speech on student unrest.  On the same page where this link is found are links to McCann’s Presidential correspondence indexes (though there are problems with the presentation, evidently glitches in the OCR when they were originally scanned).

On Thursday, June 11th, the Board of Trustees convened to confer emeritus status on eight members of the faculty. Evergreen’s newest emeritus faculty were invited to make some brief remarks, while a reception celebrated the service of all the retiring faculty. The Board of Trustees conferred emeritus status upon the following faculty: Michelle Aguilar-Wells, Jeff Antonelis-Lapp, Clyde Barlow, Judy Cushing, John Filmer, Jean Mandeberg, Larry Mosqueda and Sarah Pedersen. Read on for selections from the trustee’s resolutions.

Michelle Aguilar-Wells:

IN RECOGNITION of her dedicated service to The Evergreen State College as a Member of the Faculty from 1997 to 2015; of her contributions to the curriculum in the areas of public administration, Native American studies and art; of her major governance work as well as her many years of service as Co-Director and then Director of the Reservation-Based Community Determined Program; and
IN APPRECIATION of her mentorship of both faculty and students; of her work to remove obstacles to student success; of her unique ability to take students from a place of anxiety to confidence; of her work to recruit and teach students who are now alumni holding important tribal leadership positions; of her ability to convey both the academic and artistic side of learning; and of her deep and enduring commitment to tribal communities;

Jeff Antonelis-Lapp:

IN RECOGNITION of his dedicated service to The Evergreen State College as a Member of the Faculty from 1998 to 2015; of his contributions to the curriculum in the area of environmental education; of his major governance work as well as his service as Co-Director of the Reservation-Based Community Determined Program and as Academic Dean; and

IN APPRECIATION of his respectful leadership and teaching that earned him the designation si?yaya, or friend of the people, from the Muckleshoot Tribe; of his finely honed active listening skills; of his work with students to make the impossible possible; of his contagious love for and teaching about the natural history of Mount Rainier; of his adoption of the wilderness as a classroom for a multitude of disciplines; of his ability to make students immediately feel part of his programs; and of his genuine and welcoming smile;

Clyde Barlow:

In recognition of his dedicated service to The Evergreen State College as a Member of the Faculty from 1981 to 2015; of his contributions to the curriculum in the areas of chemistry and instrumental analysis; of his major governance work including service on the Agenda Committee and as Area Convener for Science, Technology and Health; of his use of his many bioanalytical chemistry research and instrumentation grants through the National Institute of Health as a vehicle for undergraduate student research; of his ongoing support of high school science teachers’ summer lab research, funded by the Murdock Charitable Trust; and
In appreciation of his sponsorship of over 60 undergraduate biochemical and biophysical researchers in his lab; of his publication record of over 100 papers; of his highly approachable and enthusiastic teaching of all students; of his grant writing mentorship of younger faculty; and of his love for working in the lab;

Judy Cushing:

In recognition of her dedicated service to The Evergreen State College as a Member of the Faculty from 1982 to 2014; of her founding and sustained contributions to the computer science curriculum; of her college governance work; of her active research agenda resulting in the award of over five million dollars of National Science Foundation and other grant funds; and
In appreciation of her emphasis on both theoretical and applied knowledge, creating programs that focus on real world needs; of her active pursuit of interdisciplinary connections for computer science, including teaching and scholarship on technology for scientists, natural resource managers and ecologists; of her support of her colleagues; of her promotion of research opportunities for women and minorities; of her breadth of interests; and of her contagious enthusiasm and deep care for student learning;

John Filmer:

In recognition of his dedicated service to The Evergreen State College as a Member of the Faculty from 1972 to 2014; of his contributions to the curriculum in applied science and technology, maritime studies, international trade, and organizational and business management; of his contributions to college governance work including as area convener of both Environmental Studies and Management in the Public Interest; of his deep connections with the Port of Seattle and other maritime trade and business associations that provided rich learning experiences for students; and
In appreciation of his teaching at the juncture between professional studies and the liberal arts that included a multi-year project to build a 38-foot sailing craft, the SeaWulff; of his interdisciplinary lectures; of his wide-ranging subject matter expertise; of his no-nonsense nature; and of his deep understanding of the Puget Sound maritime economy;

Jean Mandeberg:

In recognition of her dedicated service to The Evergreen State College as a Member of the Faculty from 1978 to 2015; of her contributions to the curriculum in visual art and metalsmithing; of her college governance work including as Convener of the Expressive Arts Specialty Group, service on the Faculty Hiring DTF as well as her service as a Faculty Advisor; of her contributions to the artistic life of the region and state, including her service as chair of the Washington State Arts Commission and the Olympia Arts Commission; and
In appreciation of her comprehensive program planning; of her positive energy and humor while seriously considering student work at all levels and abilities; of her obvious pleasure in her students’ success; of the sheer quantity of her useful ideas on artistic process; of her exemplary combination of artistic and professional achievements; and of her collegiality and wise counsel;

Larry Mosqueda:

In recognition of his dedicated service to The Evergreen State College as a Member of the Faculty from 1989 to 2015; of his contributions to the curriculum in the area of political economy; of his governance work including service on the Faculty Agenda Committee and Provost’s Search and Faculty Hiring DTFs; of his wide-ranging community work, focused on social justice, that enriches his teaching and provides ongoing opportunities for students; and
In appreciation of his work with students to be critical thinkers through the careful analysis of texts; of his ability to explain thought-provoking political economy concepts in an accessible manner; of his commitment to both theory and practice, as particularly evidenced by his expertise on the history, politics and culture of El Salvador along with his enduring commitment to volunteering for Salvadoran popular movements during its civil war and after as an international election observer; and of his selflessness;

Sarah Pedersen

In recognition of her dedicated service to The Evergreen State College, including as a Member of the Faculty from 1986 to 2015; of her contributions to the curriculum in the areas of maritime studies and English literature; of her deep and far-reaching engagement in the governance of the College, including as Dean of Library and Media Services (twice), Academic Dean for Budget and Space, Chair of the Presidential Search DTF and on the Re-Accreditation DTF (three times) and; of her deep knowledge of sailing and the sea that she’s used as a vehicle for serious research and study; and
In appreciation of her optimism, good humor and clarity about what’s important; of her intense intellectual interests; of her detailed feedback on student writing; of her multicultural literacy; of her years of experience as a ship’s captain, both metaphorical and literal; and of her integrity and kindness;