Please join me and Pacific University in honoring Juneteenth on Friday, June 19. Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, commemorates the day, in 1865, that the last slaves in America were legally freed from bondage, two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. To our knowledge, Pacific has not publicly acknowledged this day previously. We are working to do better, and we invite you to continue the dialogue with us.
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On Monday evening, Pacific University staff members were made aware of a video posted on social media, in which a former student makes racist comments about a fellow student. We absolutely condemn this behavior.
We are witnessing a seemingly unending and callous assault on the lives of Black men and women. This is not acceptable.
It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing new adjustments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of this pandemic is touching every aspect of our lives, and the situation is changing rapidly.
Pacific University is actively monitoring the situation. It is important to note that the current recommendations from the CDC are no different than in any other flu season: Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Stay home when you are sick. And practice good hygiene, such as covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and washing your hands frequently.
New trustees include Pacific alumnus and retired teacher and therapist Kelli Gehrs ’81, MAED ‘82, alumnus and attorney Hong Huynh ’95, Mike Henningsen Jr., retired president of Henningsen Cold Storage, and business president and Pacific parent Chuck Quinn.
On Monday, Pacific University joins the nation in marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day. As we celebrate the birthday of this great leader, it is an appropriate time to remember the way he called each of us to engage with one another and with our communities, to speak and act to improve lives, and to spread education and compassion.
The Northwest Commission of Colleges and Universities has issued its official affirmation letter in response to last year's ad hock evaluation.
Langstraat comes to Pacific from Portland Community College and brings more than 25 years of executive experience in the education sector.
It is with great sadness that we have learned that Pacific staff member Bevin McCarthy passed away on Monday, Aug. 13.