University of the Pacific (United States)

The University of the Pacific (also referred to as Pacific or UOP) is a private university in Stockton, California. It is the oldest chartered university in California, the first independent co-educational campus in California, and both the first conservatory of music and first medical school on the West Coast.

It was first chartered on July 10, 1851, in Santa Clara, California, under the name California Wesleyan College. The school moved to San Jose in 1871 and then to Stockton in 1923. Pacific is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

In addition to its liberal arts college, and its schools of education, engineering, business, international studies and music, it has three professional graduate schools: the School of Dentistry in San Francisco, the School of Law in Sacramento, and the school of Pharmacy and Health Sciences located in Stockton.

It has extensive collections pertaining to jazz musician and alumnus Dave Brubeck, who in 1953 released the live album Jazz at the College of the Pacific. It is also home to the papers of environmental pioneer John Muir.

Pacific Tigers

The Pacific Tigers represent the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California in intercollegiate athletics. The Tigers compete in NCAA Division I, and are currently in their second stint as members of the West Coast Conference (WCC).

Teams

The University of the Pacific sponsors teams in seven men's and eleven women's NCAA sanctioned sports:

Pacific and the West Coast Conference

Pacific was one of the founding members of the West Coast Conference (originally the California Basketball Association and later the West Coast Athletic Conference) in 1952, but became a charter member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Association, now known as the Big West Conference, for football only in 1969 and moved the rest of its sports to the PCAA in 1971. The Tigers remained in the Big West until returning to the WCC on July 1, 2013.