Pacific University

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.


History
Tabitha Brown, 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. 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 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 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.


Sidney Marsh

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.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 MFA programs in the United States.
Athletics
The Pacific University athletic program competes at the NCAA Division III program as a member of the Northwest Conference. Pacific was one of the founding members of the conference in 1926.
Pacific fields 20 intercollegiate programs.Women's programs are offered in basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, softball, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball and wrestling.
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 of 2008.

Student life


Marsh Hall

Pacific's newspaper, The Pacific Index, 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


The Health Professions Campus building in Hillsboro.

Les AuCoin (graduated 1969) - was Oregon’s U.S.Scott, (graduated 1863) – the first graduate of Pacific, editor of The Oregonian
Thomas H. Representative for Oregon's First Congressional District
Calvin Leroy Van Pelt (graduated 1949) - World War II veteran
Nancy Wilson (graduated in 1976) is lead guitarist and vocalist in the classic rock group “Heart”

.