California Pacific Conference


The California Pacific Conference is a List of [college athletic conferences in the United States|college athletic conference] affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The conference commissioner is Don Ott. Conference leadership is shared among the member institutions. The secretary is Marv Christopher of California Maritime Academy. The conference was formed in 1996.

History

, California [State University, Monterey Bay|California State University at Monterey Bay], Dominican University, Mills College, and Notre Dame de Namur University are former members of the conference that have left the Cal Pac and the NAIA for the Division II and Division III ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
In June 2011, Bethany University announced it was ceasing operations effective immediately, decreasing the Cal Pac to seven active members.
In 2012, Holy Names University left the Cal Pac to join the Pacific West Conference; while Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University at Prescott, Marymount California University, and Soka University of America joined to increase the conference membership to nine schools.
La Sierra University joined in 2013 to bring the conference up to 10 members. William Jessup University left in 2014, leaving the conference with nine members. Membership rose to twelve schools in 2015 when the University of Antelope Valley, Benedictine University at Mesa, Providence Christian College, and Sierra Nevada University joined; while Menlo College left for the Golden State Athletic Conference.
The University of Saint Katherine joined in 2019. In March 2020, the conference announced two additions for the 2020–21 academic year when Park University at Gilbert and Westcliff University were admitted to the NAIA.
Sierra Nevada approved in July 2021 an agreement to merge with NCAA Division I's University of Nevada, Reno. The merger was given accreditation approval in late December and scheduled for completion before 2022–23, leading to Sierra Nevada's departure from Cal Pac.
On September 20, 2024, Cal Maritime announced it would withdraw from NAIA and Cal Pac membership at the conclusion of the 2024–25 academic year. However, it later reneged on this decision and remained a Cal Pac and NAIA member through the 2025–26 academic year.
On December 20, 2024, Northern [New Mexico College] and Stanton University had accepted an invite as full members to join the Cal Pac, with the latter contingent on NAIA approval for membership, while Walla Walla University accepted an invite as an affiliate member for men's volleyball; all effective beginning the 2025–26 academic year. Later on, Central Christian College of Kansas also joined the Cal Pac as an affiliate member for men's volleyball for the upcoming academic year.

Chronological timeline

Current members

The Cal Pac currently has 6 full members, two are public schools:
InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationEnrollmentNicknameJoinedBasketball?
Vallejo, California1929Public805Keelhaulers1996both
Northern New Mexico CollegeEspañola, New Mexico1909Public1,310Eagles2025both
Pacific Union CollegeAngwin, California1882Seventh-day
Adventist
938Pioneers1996both
Simpson UniversityRedding, California1921Christian &
Missionary
Alliance
907Red Hawks1996both
Stanton UniversityAnaheim, California1996Nonsectarian379Fighting Elks2025both
Westcliff UniversityIrvine, California1993For-profit [higher education in the United States|For-profit]6,532Warriors2020both

;Notes:

Affiliate members

The Cal Pac currently has 2 affiliate members, both are private schools:
InstitutionLocationFoundedAffiliationEnrollmentNicknameJoinedCal Pac
sport
Primary
conference
Central Christian College of KansasMcPherson, Kansas1884Free Methodist1,013Tigers2025men's volleyballSooner
Walla Walla UniversityCollege Place, Washington1892Seventh-day
Adventist
1,397Wolves2025men's volleyballCascade

Former members

The Cal Pac had 13 former full members, all but two were private schools:
;Notes:

Membership timeline


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ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20
Period = from:1996 till:2028
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
PlotArea = right:5 left:5 bottom:40 top:5
Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb
id:line value:black
id:bg value:white
id:Full value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
id:FullxF value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports except for football
id:AssocF value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for football only
id:AssocOS value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member for another sport only
id:OtherC1 value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference
id:OtherC2 value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that has moved in another conference when the other color has already been used
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width:15 textcolor:black shift: anchor:from fontsize:s
bar:1 color:FullxF from:1996 till:2011 text:Bethany
bar:2 color:FullxF from:1996 till:end text:Cal State–Maritime
bar:3 color:FullxF from:1996 till:2004 text:Cal State Monterey Bay
bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:2004 till:end text:CCAA
bar:4 color:FullxF from:1996 till:2009 text:Dominican
bar:4 color:OtherC1 from:2009 till:end text:PacWest
bar:5 color:FullxF from:1996 till:2012 text:Holy Names
bar:5 color:OtherC1 from:2012 till:2023 text:PacWest
bar:6 color:FullxF from:1996 till:2015 text:Menlo
bar:6 color:OtherC1 from:2015 till:2024 text:GSAC
bar:6 color:OtherC2 from:2024 till:end text:PacWest
bar:7 color:FullxF from:1996 till:end text:Pacific Union
bar:8 color:FullxF from:1996 till:2005 text:Patten
bar:8 color:OtherC1 from:2005 till:2012 text:NAIA Ind.
bar:9 color:FullxF from:1996 till:end text:Simpson
bar:10 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2009 text:Cal State–East Bay
bar:10 color:OtherC1 from:2009 till:end text:CCAA
bar:11 color:FullxF from:1998 till:2006 text:Notre Dame de Namur
bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:2006 till:2020 text:PacWest
bar:12 color:FullxF from:1999 till:2011 text:Mills
bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:2011 till:2013 text:Division III independent schools|D-III Ind.]
bar:12 color:OtherC2 from:2013 till:2016 text:GSAC
bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:2016 till:2017 text:D-III Ind.
bar:12 shift: color:OtherC2 from:2017 till:2020 text:ACAA
bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:2020 till:2023 text:C2C
bar:13 color:FullxF from:2004 till:2014 text:William Jessup
bar:13 color:OtherC1 from:2014 till:2024 text:GSAC
bar:13 color:OtherC2 from:2024 till:end text:PacWest
bar:14 color:FullxF from:2011 till:2025 text:UC Merced
bar:14 color:OtherC1 from:2025 till:end text:CCAA
bar:15 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2024 text:Embry–Riddle at Prescott
bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end text:GSAC
bar:16 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2022 text:Marymount
bar:17 color:FullxF from:2012 till:2025 text:Soka
bar:17 color:OtherC1 from:2025 till:end text:GSAC
bar:18 color:FullxF from:2013 till:2025 text:La Sierra
bar:18 color:OtherC1 from:2025 till:end text:GSAC
bar:19 color:FullxF from:2015 till:2024 text:Antelope Valley
bar:20 color:FullxF from:2015 till:2024 text:Benedictine–Mesa
bar:20 color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end text:GSAC
bar:21 color:FullxF from:2015 till:2025 text:Providence Christian
bar:22 color:FullxF from:2015 till:2022 text:Sierra Nevada
bar:23 color:FullxF from:2019 till:2024 text:Saint Katherine
bar:24 color:FullxF from:2020 till:2024 text:Park–Gilbert
bar:24 shift: color:OtherC1 from:2024 till:end text:GSAC
bar:25 color:FullxF from:2020 till:end text:Westcliff
bar:26 shift:-80 color:FullxF from:2025 till:end text:Northern New Mexico
bar:27 shift:-20 color:FullxF from:2025 till:end text:Stanton
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pos: tabs:
text:^"California Pacific Conference membership history"

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