Dr. Jennifer Coyle became the 18th president of Pacific University in July 2022, though her ceremonial inauguration was later held in March 2023.

The first alumna to lead Pacific as president, Dr. Coyle has 30-plus years of firsthand experience as a member of the Pacific community. She earned three degrees at Pacific — a bachelor of visual science, doctor of optometry, and master of science in vision science. She also completed a residency in contact lenses at Pacific.

As a first-generation college student, she has a deep understanding of Pacific's core student demographic — and she also has experienced Pacific as a Boxer parent, with children completing both undergraduate and graduate degrees at Pacific.

Professionally, Dr. Coyle taught in the College of Optometry starting in 1994. She served as associate dean of the college from 2006 to 2008 and as dean from 2008 to 2019. During her leadership of the Pacific University College of Optometry, she was instrumental in creating the Interprofessional Diabetes Clinic — a partnership between the colleges of Optometry and Health Professions — as well as establishing the PhD program in vision science and international partnerships to expand the profession. She also was intimately involved in university-wide strategic planning, accreditation, new program development, fundraising and alumni relations.

She took a hiatus from Pacific to serve as dean of the Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University before returning as Pacific's president.

As an alumna, parent, employee and friend of the university for the past 30 years, Dr. Coyle brings a unique perspective to Pacific’s top office.