The Ford Foundation was working from a short list of four names they were considering in order to replace retiring CEO McGeorge Bundy. If Evans had taken the position, he would've doubled his salary and become even more of a high-profile national figure.

In Jan. 1979, Evans asked the Foundation to have his name withdrawn from consideration. He told the Daily Olympian, "I just felt that I can't walk away from Evergreen after a year-and-a-half in this job. I wouldn't want to leave at this critical time for the school. I had a responsibility here. It might have been a different story if the offer had come a few years from now. Of course, it would be a fantastic challenge. And it's the kind of thing that probably doesn't come along often."

The CPE study was on the way, and shortly after it was released, the Weekly commented, "Obviously saving Evergreen from extinction or transformation to just another college will be a delicate operation. Too much traditionalism will cost Evergreen some present students; too little structure will bring on the legislative inquisition. In addition, Evergreen must make these changes in a time when non-traditional education is temporarily out of favor, nationally and locally. Yet numerous experts who have sized up Evergreen think it is the exceptional place among all these experiments, the one above all that should be preserved. Dan Evans obviously thinks this is true: he turned down the presidency of the Ford Foundation for fear that his going would be a signal for the sinking of the Good Ship Evergreen."

About six months later, there was serious talk about forming a new political party in Washington State, apparently using what we call "Dan Evans Republicans" as the core. And Evans' name came up as a potential candidate for Governor in the 1980 election. But, it was just talk. When U.S. Sen. Scoop Jackson left office feet first, in 1983, Evans was appointed to replace him (as powerful as Dan Evans was, there was no way he was ever going to defeat Jackson in an election). By that time it was clear TESC was going to be around for awhile.