As it is one of the oldest institutions in the Pacific Northwest, President Lesley Hallick admits Pacific University, is “a bit behind the times.”
With that in mind, there are multiple changes to be made to Pacific campuses within the next few years in terms of lifestyle and cosmetics.
One of these changes is the movement to make the Forest Grove campus completely smoke-free. The Hillsboro campus, being healthcare based, is already smoke-free but Hallick said aside from administrative encouragement, “we’d welcome pressure from the students” to make the Forest Grove campus the same.
To make this change a reality makes sense, said Hallick, as it falls in line with Pacific’s emphasis on wellness programs and national efforts against smoking.
Although it may be difficult to enforce this policy at first, as it requires a group effort, Hallick said she is in favor of the movement and will be discussing it with campus groups and organizations as she meets with them individually throughout the fall semester to set base.
Next on the list of improving Pacific is the long-awaited redesign of Clark Hall.
The process is a big one and therefore has multiple stages said Hallick. But even so, “it looks very good,” in terms of financing.
The first phase is adding a second building adjacent to Clark, adding another 200 available beds to house primarily freshmen.
The plan is to then add a twin building in three to five years, taking down the old Clark Hall altogether.
For this project, Hallick hopes to begin to move dirt on Reynolds Field by homecoming; maybe even make it a ribbon-cutting ceremony to add to the weekend’s long list of events. But actual construction of the new buildings is not projected to begin until next August.
Perhaps just as proverbial as Clark’s remodel is the plans to renovate the U.C.
“We hope to begin this year,” said Hallick, as the U.C. is a facility that all students use regularly.
The steps of this project currently taking place are finalizing a food vendor, extending the center’s overall area and the kitchen, in particular.
To date, five vendors are being considered and in time, only two or three will be re-considered and student feedback will be brought into the decision. Hallick said it would work in the vendors’ favor if they were willing to put some of their own funds into the kitchen remodel.
No designs have been drawn for these projects but because of the demand for an improved U.C., Hallick said it will be “construction at a breakneck speed.”
By bringing down Clark to create a more “grand entrance” viewing a made-over U.C., said Hallick, the planned campus facelift and openness “connects us with the community.”
But to make the connection complete, Hallick added that improvements would have to come physically from more than this angle. This includes the campus edge of Warner Hall and Tabitha Brown Hall. But for those also very crucial construction projects, Hallick said, it would require a “philanthropic solution,” as those facilities only apply to certain departments rather than the overall student population.
Many of these philanthropic solutions present themselves during homecoming; an opportunity for alumni to visit and give back to their alma mater. All alumni are thanked for their time and contributions given to Pacific but Hallick hopes she will get more time to interact with them this year. This was not as easy 2 years ago, with homecoming and family weekend falling at the same time.
Or in Hallick’s simpler words, “it was a disaster.”
But for now, Hallick’s homecoming schedule is “kind of programmed,” so she projects no disaster. And she will be doing her best to stick to the schedule and make an appearance at most events all while still looking toward the future of Pacific.
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