FIRSTS
Pacific is the first university in Oregon to offer graduate and professional training in Optometry, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Psychology, and Education.
Pacific University was granted the first charter that provided for the establishment of an institution of higher education by the Oregon Territorial Legislature in 1849. The Orphan Asylum, operated by Tabitha Brown, focused on "the instruction of persons of both sexes in science and literature."
Gamma Sigma is the first Greek letter society west of the Mississippi River.
North Pacific College of Optometry (now the Pacific University College of Optometry) is the first program of its type to award a Doctor of Optometry degree in the U.S.
The first teacher was a young man named DCL Latourette. He only lasted 6 months because he "was unable to resist the allurements of the gold fields of California."
The first class was held in College Hall (now Old College Hall) in October 1851. Old College Hall is one of the oldest educational structures in the western United States and longest-standing academic building west of the Mississippi.
In August 2007, the Pacific Fight Song rang out for the first time from the Marsh Hall bell tower carillon. The music, by Professor Charles Dietz, plays daily at 5 p.m. and will continue to be heard at sporting events, alumni gatherings, new student orientation and other University signature events.
The Pacific baseball team was the first to use an experimental contact lens, developed by Pacific Optometry professor Alan Reichow, designed to help players see the ball better in varying light conditions. The lenses, made and marketed by Nike, are now used by professional athletes in a variety of sports.
The Iris Clinic, run by the School of Professional Psychology at the Hillsboro campus, is the first training clinic in Washington County to offer psychological services to both English and Spanish speaking clients.
In August 2007, The Kathrin Cawein Gallery of Art hosted "Amusement," a first-ever video exhibition by Hayley Barker, in the Taylor-Meade Performing Arts Center. Barker’s fascination with fairs began early when she started working at the Oregon State Fair as a teenager and is exemplified in this video installation that attempts to synthesize the entire experience of a fair into twenty minutes.
Pacific´s first woman president, Faith Gabelnick, served from 1995-2003.
The Pacific University Fieldhouse, built in 1970, was the first athletic facility specifically built as an indoor practice facility for outdoor sports. The Fieldhouse predates facilities now in place at most larger colleges and is one of only a handful of such facilities among small colleges in the West.
Burlingham Hall is the first “gold” rated LEED-certified green residential building in the country. It is one of the first buildings on the west coast to achieve this "gold" rating.
A film first in September 2007, Stolen Again, was created in the Pacific University Media Arts Department under the mentorship of Erik Fauske. It will be screening along with 18 other Portland area shorts at Living Room Theaters in Portland
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