Pacific University
Encyclopedia
Pacific University is a private university
located in Oregon
, United States
. The first campus began more than 160 years ago and is located about 38 km (23 mi) west of Portland
in Forest Grove
. Pacific University has four campuses within Oregon in the cities of Forest Grove, Portland, Eugene and Hillsboro.
Established as Tualatin Academy in 1849, the school has an enrollment of nearly 3,200 students. Founded by the United Church of Christ
(UCC), the university's motto is Pro Christo et Regno Ejus, which is Latin for "For Christ and His Kingdom." Although the university is no longer formally associated with the UCC, it still maintains a close working relationship with the organization. The university is now a small private, independent liberal arts school, offering graduate programs in education, optometry, writing, and health professions.
, a pioneer emigrant from Massachusetts
, immigrated to the Oregon Country
over the new Applegate Trail
in 1846. After arriving in Oregon she helped to start an orphanage and school along with Rev. Harvey L. Clark
in Forest Grove in 1847 to care for the orphans of Applegate Trail party. In March 1848, Tualatin Academy
was established from the orphanage with Clark donating 200 acres (80.9 ha) to the school. George H. Atkinson
had advocated the founding of the school and with support of the Presbyterians and Congregationalists helped to start the academy. Eliza Hart Spalding, part of the Whitman Mission, was its first teacher.
The academy was officially chartered by the territorial legislature
on September 29, 1849. The reverend Clark served as the first president of the board of trustees and later donated an additional 150 acres (60.7 ha) to the institution. In 1851, what is now Old College Hall was built and in 1853 Sidney H. Marsh became the school's first president. The current campus was deeded in 1851. In 1854, the institution became Pacific University. The first commencement occurred in 1863 with Harvey W. Scott
as the only graduate.
In 1872, three Japanese students started at the university as part of that country's modernization movement, with the three graduating in 1876. These students were Hatstara Tamura, Kin Saito, and Yei Nosea. President Marsh died in 1879 and was replaced by John R. Herrick. In the late 1890s an alumnus gave Pacific a Chinese statuette. The statuette was purchased from a Chinese family who used it as a sort of coat of arms. It appears to be a mix of a several different mythical creatures although it is often simply called a "dragon dog" and serves as the foundation for the university's mascot, the Boxer.
Marsh Hall was built in 1895 and named for Pacific's first president, serving as the central building on Pacific's campus. Carnegie Library (now Carnegie Hall) opened in 1912 after Andrew Carnegie
's foundation helped finance the brick structure. In 1915, the preparatory department, Tualatin Academy, closed due to the proliferation of public high schools in the state. By 1920, the school had grown to a total of five buildings on 30 acres (12.1 ha) and had an endowment of approximately $250,000.
Marsh Hall was gutted by fire in 1975, but its shell was preserved, and the structure reopened in 1977. Dr. Phillip D. Creighton became Pacific's sixteenth president in August 2003 and retired in June 2009. Tommy Thayer
, lead guitarist of the band KISS
was elected to the university's board of trustees in 2005. Pacific's seventeenth president, Dr. Lesley M. Hallick, was named on May 19, 2009.
Pacific University is located on four campuses in the state of Oregon in the cities of Forest Grove, Portland, Eugene and Hillsboro.
The central building on the Forest Grove campus of Pacific University is Marsh Hall. It houses several classrooms and faculty offices, in addition to administrative offices, including the financial aid office, student affairs, university information service, finance and administration, business office, registrar, provost's office, president's office and university relations. Carnegie Hall, the school's first library, is a one story brick building that once housed part of the College of Education, and now houses the Psychology department. The College of Education moved to the newly built, LEED certified, Berglund Hall.
The Health Professions Campus
opened in a five-story Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) gold certified building in Hillsboro in 2006, which was dedicated as Phillip D. Creighton Hall on July 30, 2009.
The College of Education is also located on the Eugene campus of Pacific University in downtown Eugene.
The School of Professional Psychology, part of the College of Health Professions, is partially located on the Portland campus in along with the downtown Portland Optometry Clinic.
Pacific University is presently in the process of expanding. A state-of-the-art, LEED-certified $11.5 million University Library was completed in 2005. Burlingham Hall, a new residence hall was completed in August 2006 and achieved a LEED-certified gold rating. In February 2008, Berglund Hall was opened to house the School of Education, business department and the Berglund Center for Internet Studies, and is also LEED gold certified. In the fall of 2008, another new LEED gold certified residence hall, A.C. Gilbert Hall, opened on the northwest corner of the campus.
At the graduate level, Pacific University is probably best known for its College of Optometry, but also offers graduate programs in several allied health fields via its College of Health Professions in physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant studies, professional psychology, dental health science, pharmacy and a masters of healthcare administration program.
Pacific also has a full range of undergraduate liberal arts degree programs and a College of Education. The College of Education offers an undergraduate major in early childhood education and elementary education. There are also a number of graduate education programs including MAT/MAT Flex, MAT Special Education and M.Ed. in Curriculum Studies and a joint program with the Optometry school in visual function in learning.
In 2007, Pacific University's MFA In Writing program was named one of the top five low-residency
MFA
programs in the United States.
. Pacific was one of the founding members of the conference in 1926.
Pacific fields 20 intercollegiate programs. Men compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field and wrestling. Women's programs are offered in basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, softball, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball and wrestling. On May 22, 2009, the university announced it will reinstate the football program in 2010.
Pacific's women's wrestling program is one of just five varsity programs sponsored by a college in the United States. The team competed as part of the women's division of the National Collegiate Wrestling Association, which began competition in 2007.
Like much of the Forest Grove campus, Pacific's athletic facilities have undergone major changes and renovations over the last decade. The Pacific Athletic Center, the school's primary complex, underwent a major renovation in 2000. In 2008, Pacific realized the completion of the Lincoln Park Athletic Complex. A partnership between the university and the City of Forest Grove, the complex features a FieldTurf soccer/lacrosse field, a nine-lane track, a new baseball field and stadium, and a new softball field and stadium. The University began construction of six new Plexipave hard courts on the northeast corner of the campus in October 2008. They are expected to be completed by April.
, was first published in 1893. The next year an annual yearbook began as the Heart of Oak.
All of the Greek societies at Pacific University are "local", meaning that they are unique to the campus.
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
located in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The first campus began more than 160 years ago and is located about 38 km (23 mi) west of Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
in Forest Grove
Forest Grove, Oregon
Forest Grove is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, west of Portland. Originally a small farm town, it is now primarily a bedroom suburb of Portland. Settled in the 1840s, the town was platted in 1850 and then incorporated in 1872 and was the first city in Washington County...
. Pacific University has four campuses within Oregon in the cities of Forest Grove, Portland, Eugene and Hillsboro.
Established as Tualatin Academy in 1849, the school has an enrollment of nearly 3,200 students. Founded by the United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
(UCC), the university's motto is Pro Christo et Regno Ejus, which is Latin for "For Christ and His Kingdom." Although the university is no longer formally associated with the UCC, it still maintains a close working relationship with the organization. The university is now a small private, independent liberal arts school, offering graduate programs in education, optometry, writing, and health professions.
History
Tabitha BrownTabitha Brown
Tabitha Moffatt Brown was an American pioneer emigrant who traveled the Oregon Trail to the Oregon Country. There she assisted in the founding of Tualatin Academy, which would grow to become Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon...
, a pioneer emigrant from Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, immigrated to the Oregon Country
Oregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
over the new Applegate Trail
Applegate Trail
The Applegate Trail was a wilderness trail through today's U.S. states of Idaho, Nevada, California, and Oregon, and was originally intended as a less dangerous route to the Oregon Territory.-Background:...
in 1846. After arriving in Oregon she helped to start an orphanage and school along with Rev. Harvey L. Clark
Harvey L. Clark
Harvey L. Clark was an educator, missionary, and settler of what became Forest Grove, Oregon, United States. A native of Vermont, he moved to Oregon Country where he participated at the Champoeg Meetings and helped to found Tualatin Academy that later became Pacific University...
in Forest Grove in 1847 to care for the orphans of Applegate Trail party. In March 1848, Tualatin Academy
Tualatin Academy
Tualatin Academy was a secondary school in the U.S. state of Oregon that eventually became Pacific University. Tualatin Academy also refers to the National Register of Historic Places-listed college building constructed in 1850 to house the academy, also known as Old College Hall...
was established from the orphanage with Clark donating 200 acres (80.9 ha) to the school. George H. Atkinson
George H. Atkinson
George Henry Atkinson was an American missionary and educator in what would become the state of Oregon. In Oregon, he served as a pastor for several churches, helped found what would become Pacific University, and pushed for legislation to create a public school system in Oregon Territory...
had advocated the founding of the school and with support of the Presbyterians and Congregationalists helped to start the academy. Eliza Hart Spalding, part of the Whitman Mission, was its first teacher.
The academy was officially chartered by the territorial legislature
Oregon Territorial Legislature
Oregon’s Territorial Legislature was a bicameral legislative body created by the United States Congress in 1848 as the legislative branch of the government of the Oregon Territory...
on September 29, 1849. The reverend Clark served as the first president of the board of trustees and later donated an additional 150 acres (60.7 ha) to the institution. In 1851, what is now Old College Hall was built and in 1853 Sidney H. Marsh became the school's first president. The current campus was deeded in 1851. In 1854, the institution became Pacific University. The first commencement occurred in 1863 with Harvey W. Scott
Harvey W. Scott
Harvey Whitefield Scott was an American pioneer, newspaper editor, and historian.Scott was born in on a farm in Illinois and migrated to Oregon with his family in 1852, settling in Yamhill County. He and his family moved near Olympia, Washington in 1853. At age 18, he fought in the American Indian...
as the only graduate.
In 1872, three Japanese students started at the university as part of that country's modernization movement, with the three graduating in 1876. These students were Hatstara Tamura, Kin Saito, and Yei Nosea. President Marsh died in 1879 and was replaced by John R. Herrick. In the late 1890s an alumnus gave Pacific a Chinese statuette. The statuette was purchased from a Chinese family who used it as a sort of coat of arms. It appears to be a mix of a several different mythical creatures although it is often simply called a "dragon dog" and serves as the foundation for the university's mascot, the Boxer.
Marsh Hall was built in 1895 and named for Pacific's first president, serving as the central building on Pacific's campus. Carnegie Library (now Carnegie Hall) opened in 1912 after Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
's foundation helped finance the brick structure. In 1915, the preparatory department, Tualatin Academy, closed due to the proliferation of public high schools in the state. By 1920, the school had grown to a total of five buildings on 30 acres (12.1 ha) and had an endowment of approximately $250,000.
Marsh Hall was gutted by fire in 1975, but its shell was preserved, and the structure reopened in 1977. Dr. Phillip D. Creighton became Pacific's sixteenth president in August 2003 and retired in June 2009. Tommy Thayer
Tommy Thayer
Tommy Cunningham Thayer is an American musician and songwriter best known as the lead guitarist for the American hard rock band Kiss.- Early life :...
, lead guitarist of the band KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
was elected to the university's board of trustees in 2005. Pacific's seventeenth president, Dr. Lesley M. Hallick, was named on May 19, 2009.
Campuses
The central building on the Forest Grove campus of Pacific University is Marsh Hall. It houses several classrooms and faculty offices, in addition to administrative offices, including the financial aid office, student affairs, university information service, finance and administration, business office, registrar, provost's office, president's office and university relations. Carnegie Hall, the school's first library, is a one story brick building that once housed part of the College of Education, and now houses the Psychology department. The College of Education moved to the newly built, LEED certified, Berglund Hall.
The Health Professions Campus
Pacific University Health Professions Campus
The Pacific University Health Professions Campus is a satellite campus of Pacific University located in downtown Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Opened in 2006, the campus contains the school's College of Health Professions with plans to move Pacific's College of Optometry and School of...
opened in a five-story Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
(LEED) gold certified building in Hillsboro in 2006, which was dedicated as Phillip D. Creighton Hall on July 30, 2009.
The College of Education is also located on the Eugene campus of Pacific University in downtown Eugene.
The School of Professional Psychology, part of the College of Health Professions, is partially located on the Portland campus in along with the downtown Portland Optometry Clinic.
Pacific University is presently in the process of expanding. A state-of-the-art, LEED-certified $11.5 million University Library was completed in 2005. Burlingham Hall, a new residence hall was completed in August 2006 and achieved a LEED-certified gold rating. In February 2008, Berglund Hall was opened to house the School of Education, business department and the Berglund Center for Internet Studies, and is also LEED gold certified. In the fall of 2008, another new LEED gold certified residence hall, A.C. Gilbert Hall, opened on the northwest corner of the campus.
Current programs
In national surveys, Pacific University has consistently received high ratings in the category of private regional liberal arts universities with a limited range of graduate programs. Approximately half of the students are undergraduates in the College of Arts & Sciences, while the other half are graduate and professional students in the Colleges of Optometry, Education and Health Professions.At the graduate level, Pacific University is probably best known for its College of Optometry, but also offers graduate programs in several allied health fields via its College of Health Professions in physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant studies, professional psychology, dental health science, pharmacy and a masters of healthcare administration program.
Pacific also has a full range of undergraduate liberal arts degree programs and a College of Education. The College of Education offers an undergraduate major in early childhood education and elementary education. There are also a number of graduate education programs including MAT/MAT Flex, MAT Special Education and M.Ed. in Curriculum Studies and a joint program with the Optometry school in visual function in learning.
In 2007, Pacific University's MFA In Writing program was named one of the top five low-residency
Low-residency program
A low-residency program is a form of education, normally at the university level, which involves some amount of distance education and brief one to two week on-campus residencies...
MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
programs in the United States.
Athletics
The Pacific University athletic program competes at the NCAA Division III program as a member of the Northwest ConferenceNorthwest Conference
The Northwest Conference is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member teams are located in the states of Oregon and Washington.-History:...
. Pacific was one of the founding members of the conference in 1926.
Pacific fields 20 intercollegiate programs. Men compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field and wrestling. Women's programs are offered in basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, softball, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball and wrestling. On May 22, 2009, the university announced it will reinstate the football program in 2010.
Pacific's women's wrestling program is one of just five varsity programs sponsored by a college in the United States. The team competed as part of the women's division of the National Collegiate Wrestling Association, which began competition in 2007.
Like much of the Forest Grove campus, Pacific's athletic facilities have undergone major changes and renovations over the last decade. The Pacific Athletic Center, the school's primary complex, underwent a major renovation in 2000. In 2008, Pacific realized the completion of the Lincoln Park Athletic Complex. A partnership between the university and the City of Forest Grove, the complex features a FieldTurf soccer/lacrosse field, a nine-lane track, a new baseball field and stadium, and a new softball field and stadium. The University began construction of six new Plexipave hard courts on the northeast corner of the campus in October 2008. They are expected to be completed by April.
Student life
Pacific's newspaper, The Pacific IndexThe Pacific Index
The Pacific Index is the student run newspaper of Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, United States. The biweekly paper is published on every-other Thursday, and is a member of the College Publisher Network.-History:...
, was first published in 1893. The next year an annual yearbook began as the Heart of Oak.
All of the Greek societies at Pacific University are "local", meaning that they are unique to the campus.
Fraternities
- ГΣ - Gamma Sigma, "Gammas." Founded 1863.
- ΑΖ - Alpha Zeta, "AZs." Founded 1867.
- ΠΚΡ - Pi Kappa Rho, "Pi-Rhos." Founded 2004.
Sororities
- ΑΚΔ - Alpha Kappa Delta, "AKDs"
- ΘΝΑ - Theta Nu Alpha, "Thetas"
- ΦΛΟ - Phi Lambda Omicron, "Philos"
- ΔΧΔ - Delta Chi Delta, "Deltas or DCDs" Established its charter in 1959 and was re-established in 2001
Notable alumni
- Les AuCoinLes AuCoinWalter Leslie "Les" AuCoin , is an American politician and the first Democrat elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from since it was formed in 1882. The seat has been held by a Democrat ever since....
(graduated 1969) - was Oregon’s U.S. Representative from the First Congressional District from 1975 to 1992 - William A. BartonWilliam A. BartonWilliam A. Barton is an American attorney in the state of Oregon. A personal injury lawyer and author, he successfully argued to allow litigation to proceed against the Vatican in the priest sex scandal, despite sovereign immunity that is normally applicable to foreign governments...
(graduated 1969) - noted Oregon personal injury attorney and author - Rick DancerRick DancerRick Dancer is an American journalist and politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Hillsboro, he was a longtime anchor for KEZI television in Eugene. Among his other activities as anchor, he covered the Thurston High School shooting...
- Daniel GaultDaniel GaultDaniel M. C. Gault was a newspaperman, educator and politician in the U.S. state of Oregon. A native of Iowa, he immigrated to the Oregon Territory with his family as a child where he became a teacher in several locales. A Republican, he served three terms in the Oregon Legislative Assembly over a...
(attended Tualatin Academy) - educator, newspaperman, and state legislator - Alfred Carlton GilbertAlfred Carlton GilbertAlfred Carlton Gilbert was an American inventor, athlete, toy-maker and businessman. Born in Salem, Oregon and died in Boston, Massachusetts, Gilbert is best known as the inventor of the Erector Set.-Early life:...
, (graduated in 1902 from the Tualatin Academy) – Olympian and inventor of the Erector SetErector SetErector Set is the trade name of a toy construction set that is popular in the United States.It consists of collections of small metal beams with regular holes for nuts, bolts, screws, and mechanical parts such as pulleys, gears, and small electric motors.The brand name is currently used for... - Augustus C. KinneyAugustus C. KinneyAugustus Crouch Kinney was an American physician and scientist in the state of Oregon. A native of Iowa, his family moved to Oregon Country when he was an infant where he was raised and started his medical career...
, longtime physician in Astoria, OregonAstoria, OregonAstoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
, and noted expert on tuberculosisTuberculosisTuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
at the turn of the 20th century - Olaus MurieOlaus MurieOlaus Murie , called the "father of modern elk management", was a naturalist, author, and wildlife biologist who did groundbreaking field research on a variety of large northern mammals. He also served as president of The Wilderness Society, The Wildlife Society, and as director of the Izaak Walton...
, (graduated 1912) – conservationist and mammalogist - Harvey W. ScottHarvey W. ScottHarvey Whitefield Scott was an American pioneer, newspaper editor, and historian.Scott was born in on a farm in Illinois and migrated to Oregon with his family in 1852, settling in Yamhill County. He and his family moved near Olympia, Washington in 1853. At age 18, he fought in the American Indian...
, (graduated 1863) – the first graduate of Pacific, editor of The OregonianThe OregonianThe Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850... - Thomas H. TongueThomas H. TongueThomas H. Tongue was an American politician and attorney in the state of Oregon. Born in England, his family immigrated to Washington County, Oregon, in 1859. In Oregon, he would serve in the State Senate from 1889 to 1893 and was the seventh mayor of Hillsboro...
, (graduated 1868) – U.S. Representative for Oregon's First Congressional District - Calvin Leroy Van PeltCalvin Leroy Van PeltCalvin Leroy Van Pelt was a businessman in the U.S. state of Oregon. Born in Alsea, Oregon, in 1924, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was among those who landed on Utah Beach as part of the Northern France, Ardennes and Rhineland Campaigns...
(graduated 1949) - World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veteran - Nancy WilsonNancy Wilson (guitarist)Nancy Lamoureux Wilson is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer who, with her older sister Ann and lead guitarist Roger Fisher, became the core of the Seattle/Vancouver rock band Heart.-Life and career:...
(non-degree, 1976) is lead guitarist and vocalist in the classic rock group “HeartHeart (band)Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
”
Further reading
- Drury, Clifford Merrill. 'Henry Harmon Spalding: Pioneer of Old Oregon." Caxton Printers, Caldwell, ID, 1936.
- Miranda, GaryGary Miranda-Life:Miranda was raised in the Pacific Northwest.He spent six years in a Jesuit seminary, then did graduate work at San Jose State College and the University of California, Irvine...
. Splendid Audacity: The Story of Pacific University, 2000. - Smith, Alvin T. Original diaries at Pacific University Archives
- Spalding, Henry H., in collections of Oregon Historical Society, Protestant Missions in the Pacific Northwest