College of the Pacific

College of the Pacific is the liberal arts core of the University of the Pacific and offers degrees in the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and the fine and performing arts. The College houses 18 academic departments in addition to special programs such as gender studies, ethnic studies and film studies. A total of 31 majors and 36 minors are offered, and students may self-design a major or minor. In all, over 80 undergraduate majors are available across the University of the Pacific’s schools and colleges. The College of the Pacific is located on the , California campus. Dr. Rena Fraden is the current Dean of the College.

The University of the Pacific’s general education program is administered through the College of the Pacific. The program includes the Pacific Seminars series in which students meet in small groups to engage in discussion about what makes a good society. Two of the Pacific Seminars courses are taken in the freshman year and one is taken in the senior year. These seminars develop students' critical thinking skills through extensive writing and reading in addition to the class discussion.

The Pacific Seminars have gained national attention by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), a national organization devoted to undergraduate liberal arts education. AAC&U awarded Pacific a $25,000 grant for 2007-2009 to be part of a consortium of schools to promote the importance of personal and social responsibility as learning outcomes in higher education.

In 2006, the College of the Pacific was selected to host a new chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. Typically, the College’s students ranked in the top five percent academically are invited to join.

The College of the Pacific houses three Centers. The John Muir Center promotes environmentalism and supports the study of naturalist John Muir. John Muir’s papers are part of the University of the Pacific Library’s Holt-Atherton Special Collections. The Jacoby Center for Public Service and Civic Leadership encourages the civic engagement of Pacific students and faculty through community service, research and internships. The Jacoby Center is responsible for the Sacramento Experience and Washington Semester internship programs, where students serve in California’s state capital and the nation’s capital, respectively. The Pacific Humanities Center promotes the value of art, music, theatre and film, as well as the traditional humanities disciplines—classical and religious studies, philosophy, literature and languages. The Humanities Center sponsors programs and events that highlight the importance of the humanities across the University and in the local community.

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