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Palo Alto University traces its origins back to 1975 when the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology was founded in Palo Alto. PGSP was established by a group of students and faculty seeking to enhance their knowledge of clinical psychology, with Robert Kantor serving as its first president.
In 1984, Allen Calvin became president. Two years later, the institution achieved accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), and in 1988 PGSP relocated its campus to East Meadow Drive in Palo Alto.
Also in 1988, the Kurt and Barbara Gronowski Clinic was established in Palo Alto to provide clinical services to the local community. PGSP's Ph.D. program received accreditation from the American Psychological Association (APA) in the same year.
In 2002, PGSP and Stanford University launched the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium program, an innovative doctoral program in psychology. In 2006, the consortium achieved APA accreditation as well.
In 2006, PGSP changed to become Palo Alto University (PAU), broadening its scope and offerings. PAU introduced the hybrid Bachelor degree program in Psychology & Social Action (PSA) at De Anza College with courses now also offered at the College of San Mateo, followed by the approval of a major in Business Psychology (BP) at Foothill College in 2009. The MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling program also commenced during this period.
PAU established the Sexual and Gender Identities Clinic in 2009. This clinic provided specialized services to individuals exploring issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity.
Maureen O'Connor assumed the presidency in 2016. In 2017, the MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program received accreditation from The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
In late 2018, PAU acquired CONCEPT, a private organization dedicated to professional training in forensic psychology founded by forensic psychologist Patricia Zapf. CONCEPT became the University’s Division of Continuing & Professional Studies, offering postgraduate professional training in specialty areas of psychology for continuing education credit.
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PAU earned designation in 2022 as a Hispanic-serving institution; it is also a designated Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution. In November 2022, the Mountain View Campus opened, becoming the new location for the Gronowski Center.
In fall 2024, PAU launched its PhD program in Counselor Education and Supervision and a Master of Social Work program the following year. In March 2025, Farouk Dey became the university's fourth president.
From Wikipedia’s article on Palo Alto University, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5