Advance
A Pacific University education creates transformative opportunities that ripple outward into our surrounding communities, workforce, and region. Under the Advance pillar of our strategic plan, we are expanding our reach — making higher education more accessible and affordable, deepening our regional partnerships, and elevating Pacific’s voice as a premier institution in the Pacific Northwest.
Affordable Education that Uplifts Communities
By 2030, Pacific University will meaningfully reduce the cost of a Pacific education and expand access for students from every background. Through strengthened philanthropy, employer partnerships, and a bold, coordinated marketing and brand strategy, we will increase visibility, deepen engagement, and grow the support needed to make a Pacific degree more attainable. Pacific will know this transformation is achieved when total scholarship support awarded increases by 50%; employer- and community-funded pathways expand; net tuition for Pell-eligible students moves closer to Oregon public university costs; graduate student debt is significantly lower than national averages; and heightened brand awareness drives greater philanthropic support, enrollment interest, and community engagement.
Elevate the Pacific Brand
Through a strategic partnership with a nationally recognized branding firm, we will craft a compelling and unified identity that positions Pacific as a place where students from all backgrounds belong, advance, succeed, and shape the future. We will highlight strategic initiatives that position Pacific as a leader and grow visibility across the region, capturing hearts, driving recognition, and inspiring investment in our bold future.
Key Initiatives & Priorities
- National Brand Partnership & Unified Identity: Partnering with a nationally recognized branding firm to build an integrated brand strategy across local, state, and West Coast markets.
- Opportunity & Career-Focused Marketing: Launching targeted paid media, public relations, and enrollment campaigns centered on access, opportunity, and career-connected graduate programs.
- Flagship Initiative Promotion: Promoting key success drivers—including the Pacific Priority program, accelerated pathways, and student upward mobility stories.
- Cross-Divisional Messaging Alignment: Unifying brand messaging across Advancement, Enrollment, and Academic Affairs to boost visibility in rankings, media, and donor networks.
- Employee Brand Ambassadors: Democratizing access to messaging tools so faculty and staff can share Pacific’s story with confidence and consistency.
Align Campaign and Case with Mission, Brand, and Bold Opportunity
By expanding access to life-changing scholarships, investing in innovative student-centered spaces, and partnering with employers to create workforce-aligned education pathways, we will unlock opportunity at every stage of the Pacific journey. Through inspired giving, personalized storytelling, and inclusive pathways for engagement, this campaign will rally a diverse community of supporters to help students rise and thrive.
- Transformational Capital Campaign: Launching a comprehensive fundraising campaign with affordability, access, and upward mobility at its core.
- Endowed & Need-Based Scholarships: Drastically increasing endowed scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students, requiring financial need for all new named scholarships to close affordability gaps.
- Employer-Sponsored Workforce Aid: Building employer-sponsored scholarship programs with regional industry leaders in healthcare, education, technology, and business.
- Named Giving for Priority Capital & Programs: Creating named giving opportunities for key initiatives, including a reimagined career center, leadership opportunity center, the Stoller Center renovation, and the Native American Longhouse.
- Affinity Pathways & Donor Stewardship: Developing affinity-based fundraising across athletics, academic programs, and identity groups, supported by personalized impact storytelling.
Expand and Align Programs with Regional Opportunity and Workforce Needs
By working with business, healthcare, nonprofit and civic leaders — especially in Washington County and the broader Pacific Northwest — we will co-create academic programs that align with emerging industry needs. We will offer flexible, career-connected pathways for adult learners to shape a more adaptable and equity-driven workforce. From Day 1, our students will be equipped to lead in the industries that shape our future.
- Regional Industry & Advisory Councils: Partnering with business, nonprofit, and public sector leaders across Washington County and forming a Pacific Northwest workforce advisory council.
- Pacific Ventures Innovation: Establishing a "Pacific Ventures" program to provide seed funding and mentorship for student and faculty startups addressing regional challenges.
- Adult Learner & Workforce Up-skilling: Expanding online/hybrid programs, credit for prior learning (CPL), and customized corporate training partnerships (such as digital literacy and project management).
- Career Placement & Pipeline Programs: Launching a "Pacific to Profession" career coaching/placement track for non-traditional students, alongside local high school pipeline agreements and learning-to-earning business partnerships.
Deepen Community Partnerships and Lifelong Engagement
Pacific University builds mutually beneficial partnerships with regional businesses, nonprofits, school districts, and civic organizations that create real opportunity for our students and for our employees to strengthen our community while advancing workforce innovation and student success. Through these meaningful collaborations, we will become the university of choice for partnerships that advance the public good and workforce innovations.
Simultaneously, we will cultivate a lifelong network of alumni, parents, and friends who remain connected through mentorship, career development, and shared purpose. By aligning Advancement, Career Development, Alumni Relations, and Corporate & Community Engagement as a powerful, connected ecosystem, Pacific will ignite lasting impact, from the classroom to the boardroom and from graduation day through every stage of life.
- Partnership Strategy & Decision Rubric: Conducting a regional partnership landscape analysis and applying a decision-informing rubric to evaluate alignment and impact.
- Connected Advancement Ecosystem: Aligning Advancement, Career Development, Alumni Relations, and Corporate & Community Engagement as an integrated partnership engine.
- Lifelong Alumni & Parent Networks: Expanding mentoring networks, regional affinity groups, on-campus experiences, and athletic/reunion events to deepen lifelong participation.
- Community Research & CRM Infrastructure: Increasing collaborative grant-funded research and building a centralized partnership database (CRM/MOUs) to manage agreements and track outcomes.