University of the Pacific (United States)

Pacific was founded on July 10, 1851, in Santa Clara. It was originally named California Wesleyan College, but one month later, it petitioned to have its name changed to the University of the Pacific.[7] In 1858, the college opened the first medical school on the West Coast; it was called the Medical Department of the University of the Pacific. The medical school was later affiliated with University College under the name Cooper Medical College, and in 1908 it was taken over by Stanford University and became the Stanford University School of Medicine.[8]

In 1871, the campus was moved to the College Park neighborhood of San Jose and opened its doors to women, becoming the first independent co-educational campus in California.[4][9] In 1878, the Conservatory of Music was established at Pacific, making it the first of its kind west of the Mississippi River.[4][9] In 1896, Napa College merged with the college. In 1911, the name was changed to College of the Pacific (COP or Pacific).

In 1923, the campus relocated from the Bay Area to the city of Stockton[10] becoming the first private four-year university in the Central Valley; it changed its name back to University of the Pacific in 1961.[10] In 1925, the San Jose campus was sold to Santa Clara College which moved its Santa Clara Prep to the campus and renamed it Bellarmine College Preparatory.

The university expanded into graduate and professional education in the 1950s, establishing the School of Pharmacy in 1955 and the Graduate School in 1956.[11]

In 1962, Pacific merged with the San Francisco College of Physicians and Surgeons (established in 1896 in San Francisco), and then in 1966, with the McGeorge School of Law (established in 1924 in Sacramento).[12]

In the late 1960s, when "... federal law about public funding of church-related institutions became an issue ..." the university stopped receiving funding from the United Methodist Church, but maintains its affiliation with the church while operating as a non-denominational school.[13]

In 2013, the university received an estate gift of $125 million from Robert and Jeanette Powell. It is the largest gift in the university's history.[14] This gift increased Pacific's endowment to $334 million.[15] That same year, Pacific awarded its highest honor, the Order of Pacific, to the Powells.[14]

In fall 2018, the university announced a planned tuition increase and budget cuts. This was the third consecutive year of such plans. In response to these financial plans and the perceived secrecy with which they had been developed, faculty voted "no confidence" in the university's president and students protested.[16][17]

In May 2019, the university's Board of Regents approved a new health school, to launch in fall 2020 with four new graduate health care programs. The board also approved merging the Gladys L. Benerd School of Education with University College to form Benerd College, a new school focused on innovative educational programs with flexible pricing and delivery methods, including hybrid and online programs for working adults.[18]

As of 2019, the Stockton Campus had 4,921 students (3,628 undergraduates, 681 graduate, 612 first professional students).[2] The University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco had 677 students (11 undergraduates, 168 graduate, 498 first professional students), and the McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento had 849 students (1 undergraduate, 334 graduate, 514 first professional students).[2]

Pacific is fully accredited and offers more than 80 undergraduate areas of study, including 12 accelerated programs, more than 30 graduate and professional programs in 11 schools and colleges and a continuing education program.[35]

The university's 11 schools and colleges are:[36]

• Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry: San Francisco
• Benerd College: Stockton, Sacramento, and San Francisco.
• College of the Pacific: The university's school of arts and sciences (liberal arts), Stockton
• Conservatory of Music: The first conservatory of music on the west coast, Stockton
• Eberhardt School of Business: Stockton [37]
• The Graduate School: Stockton, Sacramento and San Francisco
• Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy: Stockton
• McGeorge School of Law: Sacramento
• School of Engineering and Computer Science: Stockton
• School of Health Sciences: Sacramento
• School of International Studies: Stockton, housed within College of the Pacific. One of six undergraduate schools of international studies in America.[38]

Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, an adjunct professor, teaches at the McGeorge School of Law in Salzburg, Austria, in the university's summer program abroad.[39]

Admission to University of the Pacific is rated as "more selective" by U.S. News & World Report.[44]

For fall 2018, Pacific received 13,545 freshmen applications; 8,598 were admitted (64%).[45] The average GPA of enrolled freshmen was 3.45, while the middle 50% range of SAT scores were 560-660 for evidence-based reading and writing, 560-690 for math.[45] The middle 50% range of the ACT Composite score was 22–30.[45]

The 2020 U.S. News & World Report ranking of U.S. colleges and universities ranked University of the Pacific's undergraduate program tied at 125th in the "Top National Universities" category.[51] Also for 2020, USN&WR ranked Pacific 53rd in "Best Value School," tied at 87th for "Best College for Veterans," and tied at 39th for "Top Performers on Social Mobility" [51]

Pacific had previously competed in the NCAA Division II California Collegiate Athletic Association conference but left in 1950. In 1952, Pacific became a charter member of the California Basketball Association, which soon became the West Coast Athletic Conference (WCAC) and is now the West Coast Conference (WCC). They remained in the WCAC until joining the Pacific Coast Athletic Association, now known as the Big West Conference, in 1969 for football and 1971 for other sports. Pacific dropped football after the 1995 season, and returned to the WCC in 2013.

Facilities on the Stockton Campus include the 2,500-seat Klein Family Field for baseball, the 350-seat Bill Simoni Field for softball, the 6,150-seat Alex G. Spanos Center for basketball and volleyball, Knoles Field for soccer, Chris Kjeldsen Pool for swimming and water polo, the Eve Zimmerman Tennis Center, Janssen-Lagorio Gymnasium and Performance Center.

University of the Pacific competes in NCAA Division I athletics as the Pacific Tigers in the West Coast Conference. After over 40 years of being in a conference (the PCAA/Big West) in which they were the only private school ever to have been a member, they returned to a league that is now composed exclusively of private, faith-based schools. (BYU is affiliated with the LDS Church, Pepperdine with the Churches of Christ, and the other seven members are Catholic.) The athletics department sponsors 17 sports: baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's cross country, women's track and field, men's golf, men's and women's soccer, women's softball, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, women's volleyball, women's sand volleyball, and men's and women's water polo. The university's two national championships have come in women's volleyball, a sport in which the school advanced to 24 straight NCAA Tournaments (1981–2004) and appeared in nine Final Fours (2 AIAW, 7 NCAA).

Provost Maria Pallavicini currently serves as interim president following the retirement of Pamela A. Eibeck, the university's 24th and first female president.[52] On Nov. 21, 2019, Pacific announced Christopher Callahan was chosen to become the university's 26th president. Callahan, the founding dean of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, was selected after a nationwide search and a unanimous decision by the Board of Regents. Callahan will start July 1, 2020.[53]

The president is selected by the university's Board of Regents. The board has up to 35 members, many of whom are alumni, and strives to include graduates of all three campuses and professional schools. Former members include former NASA Astronaut José M. Hernández and former San Diego Chargers owner Alex G. Spanos.

About 10% of students are members of a social fraternity or sorority[54] at University of the Pacific, where there are three on-campus social fraternity houses and three on-campus social sorority houses overseen by the university. In addition to the four social fraternities and three social sororities,there are four multicultural organizations. There are also a variety of professional organizations and fraternities.[55]

• Arif Alvi, MS 1984, 13th President of Pakistan (2018–present)
• Scott Boras, PharmD 1977, JD 1982, American sports agent specializing in baseball
• Dave Brubeck, BM 1942, jazz pianist and composer
• Pete Carroll, BS 1973, Super Bowl – winning head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, former head coach of the New York Jets, New England Patriots, and the USC Trojans
• Matt de la Peña, BA 1996, Newbery Medal-winning author
• Chris Isaak, BA 1981, American rock musician and occasional actor
• Janet Leigh, 1947, actress, singer, dancer and author
• Theodore Olson, BA 1962, Solicitor General of the United States (2001-2004)
• Alex Spanos, owner of the San Diego Chargers

• List of colleges and universities in California

• Official website
• Pacific Athletics website