Pacific University is proud to announce the selection of eight new members on its Board of Trustees. Among the new members are four Pacific University alumni.
Mark Truax ’09 was elected to the board in December and began his term at the board’s March meeting.
At that same meeting, the board elected independent Trustees Gary Pacarro ’74, Heidi Nielsen ’96, Chris Tuffli ’84, Amelie Brazelton Aust, Greg Dinges and Jim Baker, whose new terms begin in May and continue through June 2026.
Undergraduate Faculty Trustee Lorely French was selected to complete the term of Jim Moore, starting in March and continuing through June 2024.
The Board of Trustees is tasked with fiscal and strategic oversight of the university, which serves more than 3,500 students in Oregon’s Willamette Valley with undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in the arts and sciences, business, education, health professions and optometry.
Mark Truax, a 2009 graduate of Pacific’s undergraduate politics and government program, currently serves as president of Pac/West Strategies, the Denver-based division of Pac/West Communications, where he has spent much of his career. He also has served as western issues specialist for the National Association of Conservation Districts and is an active member of several nonprofit organizations and associations, including the Boy Scouts of America, Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Safari Club International and Western Stock Show Association.
“I have a deep love for Pacific University,” Truax told his fellow board members. “There’s a lot of excitement and joy I get coming back to Forest Grove. I look forward to learning from you and working with you and serving beside you.”
Gary Pacarro, a 1974 alumnus of Pacific’s undergraduate sociology program, previously served on the Board of Trustees from 2008 to 2013. He is the retired founding director of Pacific’s Hawai‘i Office, partnership manager for the national nonprofit Positive Coaching Alliance, and a former financial advisor and broker with Morgan Stanley. He also has worked as a travel industry executive and an education strategy specialist for the Pacarro Group. He is a former teacher and coach, leading the men’s and women’s basketball program at his alma mater, Punahou School, for more than 25 years.
Heidi Nielsen, a 1996 graduate of Pacific’s undergraduate art and Spanish programs, brings more than 25 years experience in design, marketing and communications, with a focus on socially-responsible clients and justice. She was chief operating officer and managing partner at Brink Communications, and previously held positions with Summit Projects, Minga Creative, and GoodWorks — A Design Studio. She recently founded In Common Agency, where she is a creative strategist.
Chris Tuffli graduated from Pacific with undergraduate majors in history and political science in 1989, when he was valedictorian. He went on to earn an MBA through UCLA’s Anderson School of Management in 1998. He served as a Capitol Hill staffer for Rep. Les Aucoin (also a Pacific alumnus) and Earl Blumenauer. His career has included leadership positions with the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, DEI Worldwide, Paramount Farms and Towers Perrin. He currently is founding partner of Rethink H2O and chief executive officer of BDBH Global LLC, providing engineering advice on water issues and water re-use planning.
Amelie Brazelton Aust is vice chair and second-generation owner of Fall Creek, the world’s leading blueberry genetics and nursery company. She joined Fall Creek in 2008 to manage the company’s intellectual property and licensing and previously served as co-CEO. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon and a Master of Laws from the Munich Intellectual Property Law Center at the Max Planck Institute in Germany, where she was a Fulbright Scholar. She also is a volunteer board member for the International Fresh Produce Association.
Greg Dinges is executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer at Servco Pacific Inc. He previously owned GCD, a company offering strategic consulting services focusing on consumer products, emerging markets and cross-border operations, and also has held leadership positions with Cole Hann, Renaissance Capital, Nike, PepsiCo, and MEI Diversified. He graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1989 and has served on Pacific’s College of Business Executive Council since 2013.
Dr. Jim Baker is a physician and owner of Baker Allergy and Asthma in Portland. He and his wife, Diana, a dermatologist, previously practiced together at Baker Allergy Asthma and Dermatology in Hillsboro, which closed upon her retirement. The building, now part of Pacific’s Hillsboro Campus, was recently named Isabel Baker Hall. Dr. Baker holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and a medical degree from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, where he also completed a residency in pediatrics and was named chief resident. He also has completed a fellowship in allergy and immunology and participated as an investigator in clinical trials, with particular interest in insect allergies, food allergies and hives.
Lorely French has taught at Pacific since 1986. Originally from Vermont, she holds a bachelor's from McGill University in Quebec, as well as a master's and PhD from UCLA. She teaches German, as well as international studies and gender and sexuality studies, and she has led multiple study abroad courses to German-speaking areas. She recently published the first English-language translation of the memoirs of Ceija Stojka, an Austrian artist, activist and child survivor of the Holocaust.
— pacificu.edu —
Pacific University is a diverse learning community, where students thrive in a personal academic environment. Students study in a unique combination of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in the liberal arts and sciences, business, education, health professions and optometry. Located in Oregon, Pacific serves a diverse population of more than 3,900 students, with campuses in Forest Grove, Hillsboro, Eugene and Woodburn, as well as healthcare clinics throughout the Portland area. Pacific is ranked the No. 1 private research university in the Pacific Northwest and is also committed to civic engagement, sustainability and interprofessional education as part of its core teaching philosophy.
A day of possibility is dawning at Pacific University, said President Jenny Coyle ’90, OD ’93, MS ’00.
“Even though we’re at a unique time in history, when we’re faced with what might seem like impossible challenges — and higher education as a whole seems to be under daily attack — we will thrive,” she said in her inauguration remarks March 9.
“How do I know? I know us. And we have. A pretty remarkable history of taking those next right steps. I believe in us.”
Coyle was ceremonially installed as the 18th president of Pacific University on March 9, 2023. She officially began her tenure in the position on July 1, 2022.
“Dr. Coyle is a respected leader,” said Mark Frandsen, chair of the Pacific University Board of Trustees. “She brings positive energy, innovation, passion to educating students. She builds relationships of mutual trust, collaboration and community, and people respond in powerful ways. Dr. Coyle is the leader we were seeking, the leader Pacific needs. A caring, visionary leader who understands the challenging opportunities higher education is facing.”
Coyle is the first alumna to serve as president of Pacific, bringing a 35-year relationship with the university to the role of president. She earned her bachelor’s, doctor of optometry, and master of science at Pacific and went on to serve as a faculty member and dean of the College of Optometry. Two of her children also attended Pacific.
Her inauguration highlighted that long history and the people of Pacific today. The ceremony featured remarks from faculty, staff and alumni; performances by the Pacific University Chamber Singers, Symphonic Woodwind Ensemble, and Dance Ensemble; and readings and introductions by Pacific students hailing from all over the world.
President Emerita Lesley Hallick, President Emeritus Robert Duvall and Provost Emeritus John Miller participated in the formal installation, and delegates from more than a dozen other institutions attended in roles of honor.
In the week leading up to the ceremony, special university events highlighted the work of students, faculty, staff and alumni in the community.
- Community members toured Pacific’s on-site early childhood and elementary school, the Early Learning Community.
- Pacific’s mobile health units, partnering with mobile healthcare teams from Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Centers, Central Cultural and ¡Salud! Provided health screenings for dozens of community members during a health fair.
- Alumni presented panels on the state of athletics and women changing the world.
- College of Health Professions faculty highlighted research and clinical practice around medical interventions and healthcare access.
- And student-faculty teams presented projects ranging from the Music Education Project, offering music education for community children, to culturally adapted dementia care for Native Hawaiians.
“Our students and our alumni: You are my ‘why.’ I never ceased to be amazed by all you do and all the ways you change the world,” Coyle said. “Today is a celebration of Pacific and of you. You are the enduring legacy of this institution, and during the time I serve, I will always keep you and your service as my priority.”
Her vision for the future, she said, centers on retaining Pacific’s mission to inspire students to think, care, create, and pursue justice — and extending access to those opportunities to a broader community.
“I challenge us to have equity as an overarching umbrella for all of our goals and to embrace diversity so that inclusive excellence is at the core of all we do,” she said, highlighting Pacific’s status as an Asian American, Native American, Pacific Islander serving institution and its pending designation as a Hispanic serving institution.
“Although the diversity of our student body deepens, we must improve recruitment and retention of faculty and staff of color. We owe it to our students and to each other.”
She wants Pacific to be considered a best place to work and to launch new community partnerships and sustainability efforts, she said.
And she called for initiatives to reduce equity gaps in retention, persistence and graduation, for an accessibility focus in programs and facilities, for new sustainability practices, and for collaborations with community organizations.
“Let’s make sure all who access our programs have the resources and capacity to be successful and have the knowledge, skills, and tools to go find their bliss in the world,” Coyle said.
Coyle said a robust strategic planning process will begin this spring, following on the heels of more than 100 “Conversations About Community” she held with students, employees, alumni, donors and community members this fall. Pacific, she said, will thrive in the years ahead.
“Pacific University has seen the turn of the century, twice. We’ve survived two world wars, two worldwide pandemics, the Great Depression and the Great Recession. And through it all, we consistently reaffirm our values, use our minds, our energy and our hearts to create and make society more civil and equitable and our programs and services accessible for all who follow.
“Together, we will always dwell in possibility,” she said, quoting an Emily Dickinson poem that served as the theme of the inauguration celebration. “Because those possibilities can then become splendidly audacious realities.
“That’s what we do here at Pacific. I am living proof.”
— pacificu.edu —
Pacific University is a diverse learning community, where students thrive in a personal academic environment. Students study in a unique combination of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in the liberal arts and sciences, business, education, health professions and optometry. Located in Oregon, Pacific serves a diverse population of more than 3,900 students, with campuses in Forest Grove, Hillsboro, Eugene and Woodburn, as well as healthcare clinics throughout the Portland area. Pacific is ranked the No. 1 private research university in the Pacific Northwest and is also committed to civic engagement, sustainability and interprofessional education as part of its core teaching philosophy.
Greetings from Pacific University, where the university is preparing to host students, staff and distinguished visitors to a series of events surrounding next week's inauguration of our new president, Dr. Jenny Coyle. Here are some recent news items, as well as a selected calendar of inauguration week events.
The Music Department is putting on the comedy The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on March 10
Among the events:
March 4 — A community health fair, with on-site patient care services
March 4 — A Boxer statue Raku glazing firing demonstration
March 6-9 — A student graphic design showcase
March 6 — A student film showcase
March 8 — Women Change the World, a panel discussion
March 9 — Discovering, Creating and Learning Together symposium
March 9 — Inauguration ceremony
— pacificu.edu —
Pacific University is a diverse learning community, where students thrive in a personal academic environment. Students study in a unique combination of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs in the liberal arts and sciences, business, education, health professions and optometry. Located in Oregon, Pacific serves a diverse population of more than 3,900 students, with campuses in Forest Grove, Hillsboro, Eugene and Woodburn, as well as healthcare clinics throughout the Portland area. Pacific is ranked the No. 1 private research university in the Pacific Northwest and is also committed to civic engagement, sustainability and interprofessional education as part of its core teaching philosophy.
The Pacific University School of Pharmacy plans to launch a five-year on-campus pathway to a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree — the first of its kind.
Designed to make a pharmacy career more accessible to busy learners, the program is slated to start in Fall 2023, pending accreditation approval. Applications are now open for Fall 2023.
Since 2006, the Pacific University School of Pharmacy has offered the only accelerated three-year PharmD program in the Pacific Northwest, allowing students to get a jump-start on their careers as pharmacists one year earlier than those in traditional programs.
The new extended five-year program is intended to offer a different pathway for students who need to balance school with work or family demands. The total cost is the same for both the three- and five-year PharmD pathways.
In the five-year pathway, learners will take classes on the Hillsboro Campus, with reduced course loads during the fall and spring semesters and free summers. The intent is that learners would be able to continue working at least part time, which may be especially helpful for pharmacy technicians or other working professionals looking to advance their careers or to offset the cost of their education.
Pacific’s PharmD curriculum focuses on patient care and clinical practice, though students also are able to take part in research rotations, a formal research track, or an additional Master of Science in Pharmaceutical Science.
Admission is now open to begin the three- or five-year program in Fall 2023. Learn more about earning a Doctor of Pharmacy from Pacific University at pacificu.edu/pharmacy.