College of the Pacific

General Information

In a recent talk to incoming freshmen Assistant Dean Cynthia Dobbs explained the College of the Pacific liberal arts educational experience this way:

 “…I once thought of education as a process of receiving sparkling illumination and clarification from some old sage at the front of the classroom -- but I’ve come to realize that education really involves opening oneself up to an ongoing negotiation of the ambiguity and contradiction of experience, and that it is this tough negotiation that brings true clarity and a 'freedom to move' in the world.  Through such an education, you will develop not only practical skills, but more importantly, 'an ethical imagination,' the sort of imagination only a liberal arts education can nourish.” (Summer, 2007)

For students in the College a liberal arts education is not a mere addition to a professional or graduate education, but rather its foundation.  We believe it informs and liberates their understanding of difficult issues and transforms them to become, first and foremost, self-reflective, knowledgeable, and ethical persons. Subsequently they are able to command a broad perspective in their professional careers, committed to the welfare of their communities and well prepared to assume the responsibilities of leadership.

The College admits approximately 400 freshmen and 132 transfer students each year who pursue their course of study through one of the twenty departments or programs housed in our school.  Thirty one majors and thirty four minors, including several interdisciplinary programs and the opportunity to self-design a major or minor mean that students have myriad opportunities from which to choose.  The College also provides curriculum support for and joint degrees in interdisciplinary programs with the eight other schools of the University.  This variety enables students to make the most of the College’s small liberal arts learning environment nestled in the heart of a larger, comprehensive university.  Though students in The College have diverse interests, they have in common an enthusiasm for the hands-on learning and close faculty-student working relationships that are hallmarks of our school.