A new University of the Pacific student, Braden Himley ’29, walks by Professor-in-Residence Jeffrey Hole’s new office in Grace Covell Hall. The director of Pacific’s First-Year Experience program is still unpacking boxes, but he stops mid-sentence to greet Himley by name, compliment his new shirt and wish him a good day. 

This is not an uncommon occurrence. In fact, it’s rare Hole walks by a student without engaging. The popular English professor, who also is piloting the new Professor-in-Residence program by living in the first-year residence hall, embodies Pacific’s student-centered faculty.

“This is one of the most important transitions a student’s going to experience in a lifetime,” Hole said. “If they know how to access resources and navigate that transition in this first year, we know that they're going to be more successful in all the transitions and all the firsts that they're going to encounter in their lifetime, including their first job after they graduate.” 

He believes in taking a humanistic approach that allows students see their professors as approachable. 

“Students’ faces light up when you show an interest in what they're doing. They are learning to tell their stories, and First-Year Experience is a space for them to do that,” he said.

The First-Year Experience program, now in its second year at Pacific, aims to set students up for success through four main pillars: hands-on learning, a sense of belonging and community, career readiness and global perspective. 

For Hole, building that belonging starts by creating regular opportunities for students to connect. They can join him for meals at the Don and Karen DeRosa University Center, attend musical performances and athletic events or explore the community through off-campus excursions, including hikes. An avid hiker and camper himself, Hole uses these experiences to help students get to know each other—and their new home—along the way.

Hole also encourages students to connect with their peers while studying internationally. He believes study abroad allows students to better understand the world and how they see themselves in it.

Students can apply for the First-Year Experience Abroad in their first semester. Along with fellow first-year students and Pacific faculty, selected students will travel to El Salvador or Spain and Morocco in 2027 where they will explore historic sites and experience new cultures and communities.

Students took a similar trip to Chile over winter break in 2025. 

“The First-Year Experience program gave me the opportunity to study abroad in Chile, where I was able to build strong connections with professors and other students while bringing a more global perspective back to Pacific,” said Erick Ramirez Jimenez ’29. “Professor Hole was one of my first points of contact for the program and has always been very kind and supportive, encouraging me to aim high and pursue new opportunities.” 

Hole hopes the First-Year Experience can ultimately instill students with a sense of confidence in themselves and their abilities. 

 “I want students to have the confidence that they will find their way in this first year and set the foundation for reaching for those tools when they feel lost in the future,” he said. 

Learn more about the First-Year Experience.