April 21, 2006

Thirty years in the making

Evergreen Valley College celebrates 30th anniversary

By Carol Rosen
Staff Writer

Evergreen Valley College turned 30-years-old this year and there's a two-week celebration to mark the momentous event.

What a difference 30 years makes. Evergreen College opened on Sept. 3, 1975 with about 3,000 students taking classes in two buildings. Its first graduating class in 1976 (above) featured a beautiful landscape of green hills and not much more. Today, the school has nearly 10 buildings and almost 10,000 students, including students from its most recent graduation in June 2005 (below).

The celebration, with events running through mid-May, is to honor the past, celebrate the present, and welcome the future, said EVC President Dr. David Wain Coon.

The celebration starts at noon on Monday, April 24, with an opening ceremony bringing together the college administrators with elected officials. Attending will be Chancellor Rosa Perez from the San Jose/Evergreen Community College District and Dr. Coon. Elected officials include Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, County Supervisor Pete McHugh and District 10 City Councilwoman Nancy Pyle, who is a former San Jose/Evergreen Community College District board member.

During its three decades, the college has grown from two to nearly 10 buildings. It's currently going through a modernization phase. For example, last year the library was renovated.

When Evergreen College opened on Sept. 3, 1975, its student population was a mere 3,000. That number has grown to nearly 10,000 students today, larger than many private schools.

"Evergreen College is more than a community college, it's unique with a diversified student body," said Dr. Coon. "It's one of the most diverse colleges in California."

The student body reflects the Evergreen community with its diverse culture, he said. The school's demographics include 48-50 percent of the student body with an Asian background--Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and many other countries from the Far East. In addition, 30 percent of its students are Hispanic, 5 percent Africa-American and 2 percent Indian-American. The remaining students are Caucasian, European-American or unidentified.

The college also offers four types of education. Many of its younger students are on the transfer track. They attend Evergreen to complete their general education requirements before transferring to a four-year school. It also offers professional vocational and technical classes for students interested in nursing or automotive mechanics. These students receive a two-year degree.

In addition, Evergreen provides classes in language skills for area residents; many want to learn English, for example. It also offers a number of classes for people who want to improve their minds, their hands or just plain enjoy. These could be for seniors, a large number of students from The Villages take various classes. But these are not limited to seniors, and many from the community may want to take an art class.

One of the events to be held during the two-week celebration is a special employee recognition reception. Several employees have worked at the college for more than 30 years. Among them is Paulette Romano, who has been the administrative aide to all five of the college presidents. No one else has held the job.

Thirteen other employees have been there for more than 30 years. These include librarian Carol Bristow, who was hired before the school opened with the intention of setting up the library. She is still working there. John Payne and Richard Regua both started at San Jose City College and moved to Evergreen when it opened. Payne is the athletic director and physical education instructor and Regua is on the English faculty. He also is activity director of the Title 5 Transfer Project.

Another event will welcome future students. On April 27, the class of 2022, or about 5,000 kindergartners from the Alum Rock School District, will come to campus to walk through a series of career stations. On April 29, the school will open to the community for a Festival of Cultures from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Multicultural performers will join many of the clubs performing throughout the day.

Other features include a Cinco de Mayo celebration, the school's annual Poetry Festival featuring poet Rosanna Higashi. Evergreen College's Democratic Club is holding a community forum with the five major mayoral candidates. The play, "Vinegar Tom," will be presented between May 5-13 and an Asian Pacific Islander exhibit will be featured in the library through May 14.

Throughout the celebration, at the different events and festivities, the college will present a movable/portable history display of photos and other memorabilia from Evergreen College's three decades.