Pacific University: A Legacy of Education and Evolution in Forest Grove
Pacific University, nestled in Forest Grove, Oregon, stands as a testament to the enduring power of education and the ability of an institution to evolve with the times. From its humble beginnings as a school for orphaned children to its current status as a comprehensive, independent university, Pacific University boasts a rich history and a commitment to academic excellence.
From Orphanage to Academy: The Founding of Pacific University
The story of Pacific University begins with Tabitha Moffatt Brown, a remarkable woman who, at the age of 66, completed a challenging journey west to the Oregon Territory in 1846. Deeply concerned about the welfare of orphaned and abandoned children in the area, Brown, along with the Rev. Harvey Clark and his wife Emeline, established a home and school in a log cabin donated by Clark. This initial endeavor, known as the Orphan Asylum, laid the foundation for what would become Tualatin Academy.
Within months of the establishment of the log cabin school, a Congregational Church minister named George H. Atkinson joined the effort. In 1849, the Oregon Territorial Legislature officially chartered the Tualatin Academy. Clark served as the first president of the board of trustees, further solidifying the institution's early development. He also donated an additional 150 acres to the institution.
A New Charter and the Birth of a University
As the academy grew, a collegiate department was proposed, and in 1854, a new charter was issued, officially establishing “Tualatin Academy and Pacific University.” This marked the birth of what is now Pacific University’s College of Arts & Sciences. From its inception, Pacific University embraced inclusivity, admitting men and women together and remaining open to all races. Although many of Pacific’s founders were Congregational ministers, the university has never been under the direct control of a church, underscoring its commitment to independence and intellectual freedom. As an independent university, Pacific continues to maintain ties with the United Church of Christ Council for Higher Education.
Key Milestones in Academic Development
Pacific University has continuously expanded its academic offerings to meet the evolving needs of its students and the wider community. Some key milestones in the development of its undergraduate program include:
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- 1850: Opening of Old College Hall, the first permanent structure on campus.
- 1863: Awarding of the first degree.
- 1869: Introduction of the first scientific and teaching degrees.
- 1903: Offering of modern subject majors.
- 1924: Commencement of pre-professional programs.
Graduate and professional degrees have been offered at Pacific University since 1945 with the establishment of the Optometry program. In 1994, the university established a dedicated College of Education. A year later, the Physician Assistant Studies program was added. In 2004, the College of Health Professions was formed; consolidating all the health programs except for the College of Optometry under one umbrella. A new Health Professions Campus (HPC) opened in 2006 in Hillsboro, Oregon.
Acknowledging a Complex Past: The Forest Grove Indian School
While Pacific University celebrates its long history of academic achievement and inclusivity, it also acknowledges a more complex and challenging chapter in its past. The university recognizes with regret its historic support for the Forest Grove Indian School, which operated from 1880 to 1885. Although the school was not officially part of Pacific, the university supported the enterprise in many ways. As noted in a 1904 history that is stored in the Pacific University Archives, Pacific’s trustees exercised “a fatherly supervision” of the school, sending a delegation each year to visit the Indian school and report to the university.
The Indian training schools were a manifestation of this effort. The effort to resolve the unfinished business of settling the continent was wrapped in a belief that native people should be assimilated - cleansed of the characteristics and habits that distinguished their former lives and educated in the ways of white people.
Today, historians and Native groups are examining the legacy of the training schools, which caused children to be separated from their families in order to be shaped into something like white men and women.
Pacific University Archivist Eva Guggemos has extensively studied the history of the Indian Training School. The presence of the Indian Training School now lives on mostly in the Pacific University Archives, where Guggemos has organized, cataloged and digitized some of the records that have been assembled through the years.
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Guggemos has ideas about ways Pacific can acknowledge its part in establishing and supporting the Indian Training School. She suggests Pacific should reach out to the tribes of students who died at the school, asking their input on how to better acknowledge and care for the unmarked graves that exist in the Forest View Cemetery in Forest Grove. And, Guggemos thinks Pacific can make constant, public acknowledgement that it is built on land where native people were pushed out.
Academic Programs and Opportunities
Today, Pacific University offers a wide array of academic programs across its various colleges and schools. The College of Arts and Sciences provides undergraduates with a full spectrum of traditional disciplines, along with programs in business, communications, music, education, and Asian languages. Special programs in engineering, computer science, and various health professions (some in conjunction with other institutions) enable participants to pursue both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree.
Organized into 3 schools-Arts & Humanities, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences-the college offers over sixty undergraduate degree options, including unique options in Asia-Pacific studies, communication sciences & disorders, creative writing, editing and publishing, music therapy, outdoor leadership, nonprofit leadership, social work, and a suite of sustainability-centered art and science programs. The College of Business (COB) was founded in 2013.
Pacific University offers graduate studies in teaching, optometry, physical therapy, occupational therapy and professional psychology. Pacific's program dates back to 1945, when it merged with the North Pacific College of Optometry.
Campus Life and Traditions
Life at Pacific University extends beyond the classroom, with a vibrant campus community and a wealth of extracurricular activities. The university offers students more than 30 extracurricular activities, including fraternities and sororities, outdoor recreational clubs, performing arts groups, and service organizations.
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There’s always something happening on campus. The Kathrin Cawein Gallery of Art presents changing exhibits monthly throughout the academic year. Receptions featuring popular artists provide an opportunity to gain a greater insight into their work. The Annual Benefit Luau is presented by the Pacific University student Hawaiian Club in order to raise money for community service projects and club activities. This unique event, one of the largest of its kind held on a campus in the US, offers Polynesian music, dance, and entertainment as well as authentic Luau food.
The University hosts several commencement ceremonies to celebrate and officially recognize the accomplishments of our graduates. These include: Commencement (May), Summer Commencement (August), and commencements for individual programs.
Sports teams compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The Pacific Boxers are members of the Northwest Conference at the NCAA Division III level, having been one of the founding members of the conference in 1926. Today, men compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and wrestling. One of the most decorated sports at Pacific is handball, begun in 1977 under English Professor Michael Steele. Since 1981, the Boxers have appeared in 39 consecutive collegiate national tournaments and captured numerous individual and team national championships.
Greek Life at Pacific is centered on philanthropy, community engagement, and peer support. There are several sororities at Pacific University. Phi Delta Theta fraternity was established in spring 2025.
Locations and Sustainability Initiatives
Pacific University has two Oregon campuses, in Forest Grove and Hillsboro. It also maintains satellite locations in Portland and Honolulu, Hawai'i. The Forest Grove campus features several historic buildings. Old College Hall, built in 1850, was the first permanent structure of Pacific University and is one of the oldest collegiate buildings in the western United States.
The Forest Grove campus is home to a number of sustainability initiatives in its infrastructure, earning a Silver Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) rating in 2019. Several buildings have Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, including the Tim and Cathy Tran library, built in 2005 and remodeled with more study rooms and makers space in 2019.
Just 10 miles west of Forest Grove, the Hillsboro Campus houses many of Pacific's graduate and professional programs. In the heart of Portland's largest suburb, the Hillsboro Campus is on the MAX light rail line in Hillsboro's Health and Education District. The Hillsboro campus opened in 2006 with its first building, a five-story LEED Gold-certified building, which was dedicated as Creighton Hall. A second building, known as HPC2 and also LEED-certified, opened in 2010.
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