The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Of its 11 current member schools, all private, liberal arts institutions of higher learning, nine are located in Western Pennsylvania. The other two are located in areas adjacent and historically tied to Western Pennsylvania—Appalachian Ohio and the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia.
History
The PAC was founded in 1955 by the presidents of Western Reserve University (1955–1967, operating athletically as Adelbert College from 1967 to 1970), Case Institute of Technology (1955–1970), John Carroll University (1955–1989) and Wayne State University (1955–1967). Unlike other conferences at that time, the PAC was designed to be controlled by the presidents of the institutions rather than the athletic directors. Member institutions were to admit athletes on the same academic standards as other students and award scholarships only based on academic achievement or need.
By 1958, the PAC expanded east to include Allegheny College (1958–1984, 2022–present), Bethany College (1958–present), Thiel College (1958–present) and Washington & Jefferson College (1958–present). Eventually, many other member institutions joined the PAC, like Chatham University (2007–present), Geneva College (2007–present), Grove City College (1984–present), Saint Vincent College (2006–present), Thomas More College (2005–2018), Waynesburg University (1990–present) and Westminster College (2000–present).
Some former PAC member institutions include Alfred University (1996–1998), Carnegie Mellon University (1968–1990), Eastern Michigan University (1962–1967) and Hiram College (1971–1989). On May 31, 2017, Thomas More College, now designated as a "University", announced its withdrawal from the PAC at the conclusion of the 2017–18 school year.
In April 2019, Franciscan University, which had joined the PAC as an associate member in the newly launched conference sports of men's and women's lacrosse for the 2018–19 school year, was unveiled as the effective replacement for Thomas More. Franciscan added five sports to its PAC membership for 2019–20—women's golf, men's and women's indoor track & field, and men's and women's outdoor track & field, and became a full conference member in 2020–21.
Effective July 1, 2022, Allegheny College rejoined the PAC after a 38-year absence spent in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Allegheny remains an affiliate member of the NCAC in the sport of field hockey as the PAC does not currently sponsor the sport.
The headquarters is located in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania.