{"id":4166,"date":"2024-06-13T15:01:23","date_gmt":"2024-06-13T22:01:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pacific.edu\/blog\/?p=4166"},"modified":"2025-07-30T13:46:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T20:46:56","slug":"pacific-traditions-and-their-origins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pacific.edu\/blog\/2024\/06\/13\/pacific-traditions-and-their-origins\/","title":{"rendered":"Pacific traditions and their origins"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Many meaningful traditions have emerged throughout University of the Pacific\u2019s 173-year history and continue to enhance the student experience today. Chartered in 1851 and California\u2019s first university, Pacific remains deeply rooted in its rich history and commitment to providing a superior, student-first academic experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n


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Tiger Roar\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tiger Roar is a longtime tradition that marks the start of the incoming cohort\u2019s Pacific journey and kicks off the Week of Welcome festivities: Each year as the new students exit their Convocation ceremony, a crowd of current students and staff line the walkway to shower the new class with confetti and cheers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Academic Mace\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Academic maces date back to 16th<\/sup> century England when Queen Elizabeth I presented a replica of her own royal mace to the corporation of the University of Oxford. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert E. Burns, Pacific president from 1946-1971, asked internationally known London silver designer Stuart Delvin to create the University of Pacific Mace in recognition of the University\u2019s transition from a college to a university.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mace was first used at a Founders Day ceremony on March 6, 1966, and is constructed entirely of silver with a gold-plated seal of the University at its head. Regent Winifred Olson Raney gifted the piece. Each year at Convocation and Commencement ceremonies, the mace is carried by the chair of Pacific’s Academic Council.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Powercat\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Did you know University of the Pacific\u2019s iconic mascot has a birthday? Pacific Athletics unveiled Powercat on January 22, 1999, following the introduction of the new Pacific Tigers logo in 1998. Before the Powercat mascot and logo, the face of Pacific athletics was a cartoon tiger affectionately known as Tommy the Tiger.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael Osborne Design of San Francisco took on the task of developing a new logo for Pacific. Out of several designs, Powercat won out by a landslide, and administration enthusiastically launched the school\u2019s new face: A dynamic, roaring tiger that effectively captures the excitement and intensity of Pacific’s athletics.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n