University of the Pacific (United States)

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Not to be confused with Pacific University or University of the Pacific (Peru).
University of the Pacific
Motto: None
Established: July 10, 1851
Type: Private
Endowment: $ 167,423,000
President: Donald DeRosa
Staff: 966
Undergraduates: 3457
Postgraduates: 2739
Location: Stockton (main campus) & San Francisco & Sacramento, California, USA
Campus: 175 Acres/Urban (main campus)
Athletics: 16 Varsity Teams
Colors: Orange & Black         
Nickname: Tigers
Mascot: Power Cat
Website: www.pacific.edu

The University of the Pacific is a private university in Stockton, California, originally affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The university, previously known as "UOP" (the university changed their name to avoid any association with University of Phoenix which started using UOP as a marketing slogan around 2004) and now as "Pacific", was originally chartered on July 10, 1851, in Santa Clara under the name "California Wesleyan College." In 1858, the college opened the first medical school on the West Coast. The medical school later became part of Stanford and is now California Pacific Medical Center.

In 1871, the campus was moved to San José, and the college opened its doors to women, becoming the first independent co-educational campus in California. In 1878, the Conservatory of Music was established at Pacific, making it the first of its kind west of the Mississippi River. In 1911, the name was changed to "College of the Pacific" (COP).

In 1925, the campus relocated from the Bay Area to the Central Valley city of Stockton; it became the "University of the Pacific" in 1961. [1]

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). In the late 1960s, the university separated from the United Methodist Church, when "federal law about public funding of church-related institutions became an issue." [2]

Pacific was one of the state's first institutions for higher learning, chartered at about the same time as the present Santa Clara University. There are three professional schools: the top-ten ranked Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco, the top-100 ranked McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, and the Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences on the main campus in Stockton.

In May 2007, the university announced an estate gift of $100 million from Robert C. and Jeannette Powell. The gift was unusual in its size for an institution like Pacific that is not primarily research-focused. Only 29 other universities throughout the world had received a larger gift in the prior 40 years.

University of the Pacific is also the home of K-PAC Student Radio, 89.7 (FM).

Contents

[edit] Campus

University of the Pacific

The Stockton campus, featuring an imposing tower, countless rose gardens, architectural columns, brick-faced buildings, and numerous trees, has been used in several Hollywood films, due to its aesthetic likeness to East Coast Ivy League universities. Its most notable appearances were in Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Sure Thing and Dead Man on Campus.

University of the Pacific
University of the Pacific

The Stockton campus is home to three main residential halls: Grace Covell Hall, Southwest Hall and the Quad Buildings. The Quads are composed of many separate smaller residence halls in close proximity to each other. Grace Covell is the largest residence hall on campus holding more than 350 students while Southwest and the Quads hold a significantly lower number of students. Upperclassmen can find housing in the University Townhouses on the northeast side of campus or in the two brand new apartment buildings known as Monagan and Brookside Hall.

In 2008, the university will open a brand new state-of-the-art $30 million University Center to centralize all campus student-centered activities. This University Center will house a new central dining hall, mailroom, student cafe, pub, bookstore and conference centers, replacing the old McCaffrey Center. It is also concurrently building a new $20 million Biological Sciences Center that will provide advanced classroom and laboratory facilities for students studying the natural science and the health sciences.

The campus is also home to Morris Chapel, a non-denominational church and lovely wedding spot popular because of its simple architecture, excellent acoustics and photogenic backdrops. [3]

[edit] Demographics

As of 2006, the Stockton campus had 4,704 students (3,535 undergraduates, 638 professional pharmacy students, and 531 graduate students, mostly in the fields of education and business). Approximately 80% are from California; the rest are from 43 other states and 42 other countries.

The Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco had 510 students, and the McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento had 1037 students.

Forty-four percent of undergraduates are from ethnic and racially under-represented American minorities, and another four percent are from other countries. (Thirteen percent did not state ethnicity and are listed as "Unknown.") (Data Set for 2006)

  • African-American 3%
  • Asian/Pacific Islander 33%
  • Hispanic 9%
  • Multi-ethnic 3%
  • Native American 1%
  • White/Caucasian 39%
  • Unknown 13%
  • Male: 1988 42%
  • Female: 2716: 58%

[edit] Academics

For an institution its size, the school is unusual in the breadth and mix of undergraduate and professional education it offers. It currently offers more than 100 programs and grants more than 60 undergraduate degrees. It is ranked number 98 in the top 50 US colleges according to U.S News & World Report, with its pharmacy and outstanding dentistry programs rivaling even Harvard University. Graduate degrees are offered (M.M., M.Ed., M.A., MBA and M.S.), including educational specialist in school psychology (Ed. S.), and doctoral (D.P.T., Ed. D. and Ph.D.) degrees in over 15 departments in five schools and colleges. In total, Pacific issues the following degrees:

  • Bachelor of Arts (BA)
  • Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
  • Bachelor of Science (BS)
  • Bachelor of Music
  • Master of Arts (MA)
  • Master of Business Administration (MBA)
  • Master of Education (M.Ed)
  • Master of Laws (LLM)
  • Master of Music
  • Master of Science (MS)
  • Education Specialist (EdS)
  • Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
  • Doctor of Education (Ed.D)
  • Juris Doctor (JD)
  • Master of Laws (LLM)
  • Doctor of Juridical Science (JSD)
  • Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D)
  • Master of Psychology (M.A.)
  • Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)

These degrees are offered across nine schools and a graduate office within the University. These include:

  • Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry: San Francisco
  • Gladys L. Benerd School of Education: Stockton
  • College of the Pacific: The University's school of science and liberal arts, Stockton
  • Conservatory of Music: The first conservatory of music on the west coast, Stockton
  • Eberhardt School of Business: Stockton
  • Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences: Stockton
  • McGeorge School of Law: Sacramento
  • School of Engineering and Computer Science: Stockton
  • School of International Studies: One of six undergraduate schools of international studies in the United States, Stockton
  • The Office of Research and Graduate Studies: Stockton

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, an adjunct professor, continues to teach at the McGeorge School of Law. The school's programs of study can be found on the school's Academics page.

[edit] Athletics

University of the Pacific competes in NCAA Division I athletics as the Pacific Tigers, primarily in the Big West Conference. Headed by Lynn King, the athletics department sponsors 16 sports: baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's cross country, women's field hockey, men's golf, women's soccer, women's softball, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's volleyball and men's and women's water polo. The university's two national championships have come in women's volleyball. Pacific ended its football program following the 1995 season. As of 2007, they are one of eleven schools in California to drop football since 1990 and the last school in the country to end a Division I-A football program.

Facilities 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, the 30,000-seat Amos Alonzo Stagg Memorial Stadium for soccer (and high school football), the Hal Nelson Tennis Courts and the Chris Kjeldsen Pool.

[edit] Administration

The University is currently headed by President Donald DeRosa, who became the university's 23rd president in 1995. Under his leadership, the university undertook a $200 million fundraising campaign to construct, among other things, a University Center, Biological Sciences Center, multipurpose gymnasium, a library addition, and the Klein Family Field for baseball. In the summer of 2007, the University announced it had vastly exceeded that goal, having raised a total of $330 million[4], including the gift of $100 million from Robert C. and Jeannette Powell.

Serving under the president are various vice presidents. In 2005, former Stanford Athletic Director Ted Leland announced that he would return to his undergraduate alma mater as Pacific's Vice President of University Advancement.

The president is selected by the University's Board of Regents, consisting of 27 members, including U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Janice Brown, U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Connie M. Callahan. Former members are occasionally named Emeritus Board Members. This list includes San Diego Chargers owner Alex G. Spanos.

The provost, Philip N. Gilbertson, serves as the chief academic officer, overseeing all of the university's schools and divisions. The Council of Deans comprises all academic deans, associate and assistant provosts, the Director of Planning and Research, and the Academic Budget Officer.

[edit] Greek life

Greek life plays an important role at University of the Pacific, where there are four on-campus social fraternity houses, four on-campus social sorority houses, and five multicultural fraternities that are overseen by the University's Department of Housing and Greek Life.

Approximately 20% of Pacific students are involved in Greek life at Pacific.

[edit] Fraternities

[edit] Sororities

[edit] Multicultural organizations

[edit] Professional fraternities

[edit] Service fraternities

[edit] Honors societies

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Notable coaches

  • John Dunning, won 2 NCAA women's volleyball titles and had 7 Final Four appearances as Pacific's head coach from 1985-2000; now head coach at Stanford University
  • Jon Gruden, former UOP Assistant Football Coach, current Head Coach of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Terry Liskevych, former 3-time Olympic women's volleyball head coach; Pacific's head coach from 1977-84
  • Ed Sprague, former Major League Baseball all-star; current head baseball coach, 2004-present
  • Amos Alonzo Stagg, "The Grand Old Man of Football", head football coach at Pacific from 1933-46
  • Bob Thomason, 5-time Big West Coach of the Year and school's all-time winningest men's basketball coach; Pacific's head coach from 1988-present

[edit] References

  1. ^ Key Dates in Pacific's History, 30 September 2007
  2. ^ In The Beginning, 30 September 2007
  3. ^ Morris Chapel, 30 September 2007
  4. ^ Pacific.edu Investing in Excellence (Retrieved October 18, 2007)

[edit] External links

v • d • e
University of the Pacific
Academics

Gladys L. Benerd School of Education • College of the Pacific (School of Science and Liberal Arts) • Conservatory of Music • Eberhardt School of Business • School of International Studies • School of Engineering and Computer Science
Graduate / Professional Schools

McGeorge School of Law (Sacramento) • Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry (San Francisco) • Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (Stockton)
Research

The Office of Research and Graduate Studies • Brubeck Institute
People

Alumni • Faculty
Student Life

KPAC 89.7 (FM) • Morris Chapel
Athletics

Stagg Memorial Stadium • Alex G. Spanos Center • Klein Family Field • Big West Conference
v • d • e
Big West Conference
v • d • e
Sports teams based in The Central Valley
Baseball
Basketball
Football
Hockey
Soccer
Tennis
College athletics
(NCAA Div. I)
Main Article: Sports in California