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Three Pacific students wearing Boxer scarves pose with the Boxer statue while a fourth student takes their photo on a phone
175 Years of Purpose

Since 1849, Ƶ has been a place of belonging, welcoming students to be part of something greater. At Pacific, we live lives of purpose, on purpose, uplifting our communities by educating students who have a passion for service. 

Here, students become the educators our children need, the caregivers who nurture our families and neighbors, the leaders and innovators who make our communities stronger.

The cornerstone of our mission is opportunity. We believe in the potential of all of our students to learn, grow, thrive and serve. We are committed to ensuring access, removing the financial and societal barriers that stand in students’ way, and to success, empowering students to pursue meaningful careers that uplift them, their families, and their communities.

Look Back on 175 Years of Purpose

In the 1840s, Tabitha Brown sought to offer a home and education for “all the children.” On Sept. 26, 1849, her orphan school was granted a charter to become Tualatin Academy and later Ƶ. 

Today, we hold true to Grandma Brown’s vision, serving one of the most diverse student bodies in the Pacific Northwest. A third of our students are the first in their families to attend college. A third come from low-income families. Over half identify as non-white. 

For the past 175 years, we have been at the forefront of purpose-driven education in Oregon. We were the first to offer degrees in teaching, in optometry, in physical therapy, in occupational therapy. Today, we prepare more healthcare providers than any other private institution in the state, and the vast majority of our alumni work in healthcare and education.

Throughout 2024-2025, we celebrated our history and impact with alumni and friends around the country.

The Next 175 Years

At a turning point for higher education, Ƶ is poised to serve the next 175 years — or eight generations — of students. 

Where there is an alarming public narrative that says education doesn’t matter, we know it does. Education is opportunity.

Students who earn a bachelor’s degree average at least $1 million more in their lifetime earnings than those with a high school diploma alone. And Oregon’s private colleges — including Pacific — contribute $3.5 billion to the state’s economy each year in the jobs we support, the earnings of our alumni, and the spending of the students and visitors who come to our campuses.

More, though, Pacific empowers students who become the teachers and healthcare providers our communities need. The researchers who fight cancer and poverty and international strife. The innovators who create new technology. The curious thinkers who are engaged voters, leaders and problem solvers.

Those students need you. They need your belief, your support, your stories. Learn more about how we’re removing barriers, creating opportunities — and how you can be part of Pacific’s future.

A Pacific student wearing graduation regalia and a lei walks amid bubbles and fellow graduates at August Commencement
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