PAC to celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2014-15 7/3/2014 8:00:00 AM About the PAC Historical look back at the PAC PAC 60th anniversary teams GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org) – The Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) will be celebrating its 60th anniversary throughout the 2014-15 academic year. The PAC, formally organized in 1955 by Western Reserve University, John Carroll University, Case Institute of Technology, and Wayne State University, was built on the basic principle that an athletic program is an integral part of college life, but not an entity in itself. "The PAC’s celebration of our 60th anniversary as a conference during the 2014-15 academic year is truly historic, as we celebrate six decades of excellence in the classroom as well as the athletic arena since our founding in 1955. I join with all of my Presidents' Athletic Conference colleagues – both past and present – in remembering and honoring the outstanding achievements of the past while also looking forward to many more great years to come,” said PAC commissioner Joe Onderko. The formation of the league was the result of a realization that college athletics, despite numerous virtues for the individual and the institution, were gradually becoming a financial and academic burden. If athletics were to be continued, action had to be taken to place the program on its proper level. This included the premise that benefits of participation should be provided to as many students as possible. “Very few athletic conferences in the country can say that they are 60 years old. With all the changes in conferences today and the super-conferences being created, it is a special thing to be a part of a conference that had been so strong and so steady over six decades,” said David A. Armstrong, J.D., president of Thomas More College and PAC Presidents’ Council chair for 2014-15. “The PAC was founded with the philosophy that the presidents of member institutions should maintain supervision over the academic and athletic endeavors of its students. We still live that mission today. It is a mission and philosophy that clearly states that academics come first and that athletic endeavors are a compliment to the education of the mind, body and spirit. We appreciate the efforts of all the quality institutions that have been a part of the PAC for over 60 years and we look forward to making sure that this foundation takes us into the next 60 years of quality academic and athletic endeavors.” Currently comprised of 10 select private colleges – Bethany College, Chatham University, Geneva College, Grove City College, Saint Vincent College, Thiel College, Thomas More College, Washington and Jefferson College, Waynesburg University and Westminster College – the PAC remains a unique organization in this day of high pressure intercollegiate athletics. Institutions involved realize that the key components to its progress lie in the foundation of faith and trust in each member. In 2011, the PAC Presidents’ Council voted to add Carnegie Mellon University and Case Western Reserve University as affiliate members in the sport of football beginning in 2014. CMU and Case will kick off the 2014 PAC football season on Saturday, Sept. 6 (7 p.m.) at DiSanto Field in Cleveland.