Beyond Our Gates represents Pacific's commitment to forge community partnerships that improve lives in our region.

The Beyond Our Gates initiative was launched in 2010, a collaborative effort among University of the Pacific and individuals and organizations from throughout San Joaquin County, seeking ways of working together to improve the social and economic wellbeing of our region.

Following a series of community forums that drew hundreds of concerned citizens into active discussion of our region's shared future, recommendations for enhanced community partnerships were shared, compiled, refined and finally presented in a report to President Pamela Eibeck.

Through this conversation — one that continues — education emerged as one of the community's most pressing challenges, but also one of its most promising means of improving quality of life for all residents.

In response, the University has pledged to work with community partners to prepare and send more people from this region to college.

In moving toward that goal, we have launched the Tomorrow Project, an initiative in which specialized academies offer elementary and high school students skills, resources and sustained support in preparing for and pursuing higher education.

To help envision and structure Pacific's ongoing community-engagement priorities, President Eibeck has convened the Beyond Our Gates Community Council, an advisory body made up of local leaders representing business, education, nonprofit and other fields.

The University also is working to fuel vital discussions of our region's most critical issues through the Dialogues of Distinction series, which invites the country's top thinkers and practitioners to share their cutting-edge views and experience-tested ideas.

We continue to seek the community's support, feedback and ideas as we move forward in building new and meaningful partnerships. To contribute your thoughts, contact Community Relations Manager Jennifer Torres Siders at (209) 946-3134 or jtorressiders@pacific.edu.