Donald DeRosa leaves behind a University of the Pacific very different from the one he took charge of as president in 1995

 

By Jennie Rodriguez
Record Staff Writer

June 28, 2009 6:00 AM

STOCKTON – Fifteen years ago, University of the Pacific’s outlook was bleak.

There were accreditation problems, declining enrollment, financial shortfalls, governance issues and low morale among faculty.

Any one of those issues could have been a deterrent for candidates seeking to be Pacific’s next president.

What Donald DeRosa saw were opportunities for change.

“The main attraction was the university’s history. It was the first in California to be chartered. A university that picked itself up entirely and moved in 1924 from the Bay Area to Stockton. There was also a board with a wonderful chair, (the late) Bob Monagan, ready and prepared to move forward. … Many of the issues were solvable and rectifiable.”

[ More at the Stockton Record ]

Profile Day is this weekend!

Pacific rolls out the red carpet for all admitted students and their parents to spend a day at our biggest event of the year!

• Hear from current students about their experience
• Meet future classmates and lifelong friends
• Learn about your program of study
• Tour our beautiful campus
• Talk with faculty members
• Visit our residence halls

Be a part of this all day event. Reserve your spot now by clicking here!

A Schedule of events, including specific Academic Sessions and Campus Map can be downloaded by clicking here!

Pacific Appoints Next President

Pamela Eibeck, Pacific's next President.

Pamela Eibeck, Dean of the College of Engineering and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Texas Tech University, has been selected as the 24th President of University of the Pacific. She will become Pacific’s first woman President and the sixth since the University moved to Stockton in 1924. Eibeck will begin her appointment at Pacific on July 1, 2009.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be asked to serve as the next president of University of the Pacific,” said Eibeck. “It is also humbling to follow such a great leader as Don DeRosa, who has worked with Pacific faculty, staff and alumni to create an exceptional student-centered university. I look forward to joining the dynamic Pacific community and working together toward ever greater heights of excellence.”

As dean of the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering at Texas Tech, Eibeck has responsibility for eight academic departments, 33 degree programs and a $55 million budget. The college has 4,400 students, 156 faculty and five research centers. With an endowment of $57 million, $16.5 million in research funding and 18 endowed chairs, Texas Tech’s engineering school is perennially ranked in the top 100 by U.S. News & World Report. It also is one of the nation’s largest engineering colleges.

“Pam Eibeck is a distinguished scholar and a proven administrator, with the leadership ability to continue Pacific on the upward trajectory established by President DeRosa,” said Tom Zuckerman, chair of the Board of Regents. “She earned the admiration of the Board with her energy, her stellar administrative track record, and her interest in community engagement.”

Click to read the complete Press Release

Lodi soccer standout Kortney Agdeppa signs letter of intent with Pacific

Lodi High senior Kortney Agdeppa signed a letter of intent Wednesday to play to play at Pacific. (Courtesy photograph)

By News-Sentinel Staff

Updated: Friday, February 6, 2009 6:24 AM PST

Kortney Agdeppa’s sleepless night was proof that her dream did come true.

The Lodi High soccer standout fulfilled her childhood ambitions when she signed with the University of the Pacific on Wednesday morning.

“I always wanted to go there since I was little. I use to play on their campus for an old club team. It was a pretty campus and close to home,” said Agdeppa, who was restless leading up to the big day.

“I couldn’t sleep the whole night. I was thinking that at 7 o’clock I can officially sign my letter of intent. After it was finally done, I was like ‘Oh my God, my dream finally came true.’ “

Agdeppa, a 5-foot-3 midfielder/defender, has enjoyed an honor-filled prep career for the Flames. She made the all-league team as a freshman and was named the league’s best defender after her sophomore and junior campaigns.

Link to full Story…

Acting icons bring black heroes to life

By Jennifer Torres
Stockton Record Staff Writer
February 05, 2009 6:00 AM
STOCKTON – Actor and activist Danny Glover walked on stage Wednesday night singing a line from a Langston Hughes poem:

“I got the Weary Blues/And I can’t be satisfied.”

He grabbed the microphone and swayed.

“Got the Weary Blues/And can’t be satisfied.”

The San Francisco native was at University of the Pacific’s Faye Spanos Concert Hall with actor Felix Justice to perform “An Evening with Langston and Martin” – readings from the works of Hughes and Martin Luther King Jr. – a marquee event on the university’s slate of Black History Month activities.

The performance opened with Justice’s reading of a speech in which King defended his protest of the Vietnam War in the context of civil rights. Glover followed with a number of Hughes’ poems, interspersed with notes on history and biography that drew connections between King and the Harlem Renaissance icon, and to both men’s enduring legacies.

The 950-seat concert hall was full.

Yesenia Trejo, a teacher at Stockton’s Langston Hughes Academy, brought her son, Eddie.

“I got chills listening to both speakers,” she said.

Lucy Hill, a 1974 Pacific graduate and Edison High teacher, came with her husband, Vernell, who left the concert hall singing “Weary Blues.”

Lucy Hill was a member of Pacific’s Black Student Union and said the readings resonated with her.

“Those were very familiar to me,” she said.

Glover said he had never been to Pacific, except as a child to get teeth pulled at the university’s dental school in San Francisco.

“To be here and with young people beginning to shape and reshape their own history,” he said, “that’s really wonderful.”

Contact reporter Jennifer Torres at (209) 546-8252 or jtorres@recordnet.com

Original Article (http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090205/A_NEWS/902050330)

Award-winning play at Pacific

Award-winning play at Pacific
University of the Pacific students will perform the highly acclaimed, award-winning play “The Vagina Monologues” at 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the DeRosa University Center ballroom, on the Pacific campus.

The play covers a range of subjects and experiences faced by women, including birth, love, sex, rape and mutilation.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for students. Proceeds will go to the Women’s Center of San Joaquin.

Information: (209) 946-7745.

High schoolers should think about financial aid for college early

From The Pantagraph
Bloomington-Normal, Illinois

NORMAL — Students thinking about college should head into the process like the movie character Jerry Maguire: “Show me the money.”

Financial aid can be given based on need, or skills in academics, sports or other talents.

Aid experts say high schoolers should start by meeting with school counselors. But people with younger children also can start exploring how to cover the cost.

The Pantagraph area is home to seven higher education institutions, but comparing prices is difficult because of different financial assistance models. On the public side, there’s Heartland Community College and Illinois State University. Privates include Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington; and four colleges Lincoln College, with campuses in Normal and Lincoln; Lincoln Christian College, in Lincoln; and Eureka College.

Each has different pricing, so comparisons are difficult — but costs to attend range from about $6,400 for a year at Heartland, to about $18,200 at ISU; and roughly $40,000 at Illinois Wesleyan.

Scholarships are offered through schools, community groups, employers and affinity groups, and there are work-study plans and loans. The federal Pell and Illinois’ Monetary Assistance Program are two of the most well-known of a multitude of government grants.

Institutions increasingly are setting aside blocks of money to help students. Illinois State University blocked off $5 million last year to boost aid to MAP grants. Eureka College spent $2.6 million on private scholarships for the 2007-08 year.

Loans don’t need to be repaid until after graduation. Most schools help students access government-regulated direct-lending programs, which have better interest rates, said Jana Albrecht, ISU director of financial aid.

Every school’s financial aid office has students begin with Free Application for Federal Student Aid, better known as FAFSA.

“You can’t get any aid unless you apply,” said Cheryl Schaffer, Heartland Community College financial aid director.

Another important factor is deadlines. Once available money is gone for the semester, you’re out of luck.

People intending to enroll in college any time in 2009 can begin filling out FAFSA forms after Jan. 1.

The earlier you apply for FAFSA, and other information required by a college, the sooner you’ll know the true dollar amount you’ll need to attend college.

“I recommend students do that as soon as they get their taxes done,” said Schaffer. Every school has different priority filing deadlines. At Heartland, it’s May 1 for fall semester, she said.

Echoed ISU’s Rosenthal: “The No. 1 thing to do is fill out the FAFSA, and fill it out early. Some programs have limited amounts of money to pass out. And when it’s gone, it’s gone,” he said.

Full Article
http://www.pantagraph.com/articles/2009/01/13/news/doc496d44592555d374592163.txt

Seeking Financial Aid for College? Better Get the FAFSA in on time.

From the WSJ blog
Posted by Melissa Korn

Speed really matters if you want aid money.
For all the families worried about paying for college next year, here’s more cause for concern. While federal loans and grants will still be available for everyone who qualifies, state- and school-based fund pools are expected to dry up very quickly for the 2009-2010 academic year.

[ Full Article ]

Tips on Filling out the FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can sometimes be tricky. The FAFSA is however one of the most important first steps in the financial aid process at Pacific. It is used to apply for  Federal Financial Aid, such as grants, student loans, and work-study.  It is also used for determining eligibility some of our university grants and scholarships. Even if you don’t think you are eligible for financial aid, you should still fill it out.

To begin, visit http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. The three step process will help make sure you have all the information you need, all the steps completed successfully, and how to check on the status and make corrections if necessary.

For additional tips please visit (http://web.pacific.edu/x17331.xml) our page on “Tips for filling out the FAFSA“.

Reaching for the Stars gets $5K donation

By The Stockton Record
January 05, 2009 6:00 AM

STOCKTON – The Jose Hernandez Reaching for the Stars Foundation received a $5,000 grant on Dec. 24 from Bank of the West.

The grant will go toward the foundation’s scholarship fund. The foundation hopes to award $10,000 to  University of the Pacific students interested in the math, science, or engineering study fields by fall. Students are selected based on their major, income, grades, and community service record.

Astronaut Jose Hernandez, a Stockton native and Pacific graduate, was chosen by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to fly in a space mission this year. The Stockton-based foundation named after him promotes math, science and engineering among students, especially disadvantaged youths.

[From the Stockton Record]