Evergreen College President Quits Amid Allegations
Evergreen State College President Joseph Olander, plagued by accusations he falsified his academic credentials, has resigned.
Olander quit last night after the school's Board of Trustees, which had doggedly defended Olander through a series of allegations the past year, met in closed session for more than four hours on the latest such allegation.
Olander, 51, was president of the 3,000-student college in Olympia since early 1985. He earned $94,000 a year. Last month, his contract was extended through 1993.
The board agreed to pay Olander a lump sum of $193,000 and announced that Vice President Les Purce would serve as interim president.
In a brief statement to the board, Olander said he resigned to ``stop the madness'' that had swirled around his record.
During his remarks, Olander, often known for his imagination and charisma, turned to members of the audience and said, ``Well, are we having fun yet?''
Today, Olander recalled that when he took the job five years ago, he believed that ``this is the most exciting and most frustrating position in higher education in the country. I still feel that way.
``I really love the place. But since the board extended my contract a month ago, it had become obvious I had to make a decision to stop this madness.''
Olander said his resignation was not requested by the board. ``Certain individuals used a local newspaper to manipulate matters at the school,'' he said.
His plans for the future are
unclear but will include working on at least two books.
He became increasingly beleaguered by claims he misrepresented his achievements on a series of resumes and in media and professional interviews.
Olander occasionally admitted to making errors in written statements he had made about his background but said charges made against him were overblown and vindictive.
The latest accusation involved a resume he submitted to the University of Texas at El Paso. On it, he claimed he had a master's degree in English and had completed his thesis on the works of author James Baldwin.
Records from Rollins College in Florida showed he actually had a master of arts in teaching and that his thesis had been on the effect of communism on the Chinese family.
Several other academic achievements listed by Olander on various resumes also have been challenged by critics, including his claim that he was Phi Beta Kappa.
He said later he had been misled into thinking he was included in that academic fraternity.
Evergreen Professors Craig Carlson and Dave Hitchens, the leaders of the attempt to oust Olander, charged that the errors amounted to fraud. Both were unavailable to comment on Olander's resignation.
Olander defended the latest discrepancy with a statement made through the university's information office. He said he completed three semester hours of ``thesis-oriented'' work on Baldwin before switching to the communism project.
One source at the college said the board viewed the UTEP information as ``the last straw.''
Olander's problems, say his supporters, began last year when he fired Provost Patrick Hill and upset some faculty members.
Before last night, the board had aggressively backed Olander.
Olander was known for his rags-to-riches story of a high-school dropout who went on to become a leader of Evergreen. But critics also have questioned that story, saying he actually finished in the top 40 percent of his high-school class.
Olander took the Evergreen job after serving five years as academic vice president at UTEP.
Provost Russ Lidman said he was disappointed to see Olander leave but said a change of attitude is needed at the school.
``These are very trying times for the college, and there are no winners in this,'' he said.
The board will meet next Wednesday to discuss the process to select a new president.