Author spotlight: Scott Craig

Scott Craig is manager of media relations at Westmont College.

Women Engineers Rule Racing Day
By Scott Craig   |   December 17, 2024

Westmont’s 12 junior engineering students battled in a three-part competition as part of their Machine Design course that included racing and jumping the 500-piece remote-control car they had created in front of Kerrwood Hall on Dec. 5.  In the end, it was the women who shined with the team of Grace Morgan and Ainsley Martin […]

Luncheon Features Former USAID Head 
By Scott Craig   |   December 17, 2024

The Westmont Women’s Leadership Council Luncheon features Henrietta Holsman Fore – a recognized leader in business, corporate boards, the U.S. government, the United Nations and nonprofit organizations – on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, 12-1:30 pm at Montecito Covenant Church, 671 Cold Spring Road, Santa Barbara. A limited number of tickets, which cost $150 per person, […]

Let There Be Light
By Scott Craig   |   December 17, 2024

The college kicked off the Christmas season with its annual lighting of Kerrwood Hall in a festive event, Let There Be Light, on Dec. 3 as the Westmont community gathered on Kerrwood Lawn. Santa posed for pictures inside the holiday-decorated Kerrwood Hall lobby.  Brad Elliott, campus photographer and Your Westmont contributor, was named the special […]

Student Engineers Are Off to the Races
By Scott Craig   |   December 10, 2024

Westmont’s junior engineering students will take part in the fourth annual remote-control car competition on Thursday, Dec. 5, at 1:30 pm in front of Kerrwood Hall. The public is welcome to cheer on the students, who’ve spent the last 10 weeks working in teams to assemble hundreds of parts to create their race cars. This […]

Christmas Festival Tickets
By Scott Craig   |   December 10, 2024

Tickets have been selling briskly for the 20th annual Westmont Christmas Festival which will be held Saturday, Dec. 14, at 7 pm and Sunday, Dec. 15, at 3 pm at the Granada Theatre. Tickets, which cost $22 each, may be purchased at westmont.edu/christmas-festival.  This wonderful evening of music features the Westmont Orchestra, College Choir, and […]

Festive Holiday Art Sale
By Scott Craig   |   December 10, 2024

The Westmont Art Department’s annual Holiday Art Sale features handmade work by students, faculty and alumni on Friday, Dec. 6 from 11 am – 4 pm along the second floor of Adams Center for the Visual Arts and in the design and craft studios. A portion of sales support art student scholarship fund.  This festival […]

Warrior Signs with Blue Jays
By Scott Craig   |   December 10, 2024

Westmont alumnus Michael Stefanic (‘18), who has played in the Los Angeles Angels’ organization since he signed in July 2018, has inked a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. He made his Major League debut in 2022 and has played in 90 games with the Angels over the last three seasons.  The 28-year-old […]

Helping Students Achieve Their College Dream
By Scott Craig   |   December 3, 2024

More than 170 high school students and their families attended Affording Your College Dream, a community event that explores the best ways low-income students can fund a college education. The annual event, hosted by Westmont in partnership with several county education initiatives, included Resilience, Education, Adventure, Community and Health (REACH), Program for Effective Access to […]

Exploring Exotic Isotopes
By Scott Craig   |   December 3, 2024

Westmont students Josef Bingener (‘25) and Ethan Camp (’27) have participated in a novel nuclear physics experiment with Professor Robert Haring-Kaye. They traveled to Florida State University (FSU) to study the structural properties of an exotic isotope of gallium (72Ga) that survives for only a few hours before decaying to a different isotope.  “We’re interested […]

Men’s Soccer Magical Run Ends
By Scott Craig   |   December 3, 2024

Westmont men’s soccer (12-5-4), the first group of Warriors to make an appearance in a NCAA DII tournament, lost to Cal Poly Pomona, 2-1, in the Super Region 4 Bracket on Nov. 22 in Wichita Falls, Texas.  The Warriors’ magical run included coming back from a two-goal deficit to defeat Fresno Pacific 3-2 and claim […]

Oak Group Paintings Offer ‘Grace of the World’
By Scott Craig   |   November 19, 2024

More than 30 members of the Oak Group, a collection of landscape artists passionate about nature and committed to preserving local lands, will each exhibit a painting in “The Oak Group Presents the Grace of the World” from Nov. 21- Dec. 21 in the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. Many of the artists will take […]

Stargazing Features Beaver Moon, Owl Cluster
By Scott Craig   |   November 19, 2024

The November public stargazing event will feature a Beaver Moon, Owl Cluster and two gas giants, Saturn and Jupiter, on Friday, Nov. 15 – beginning at 6 pm and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory. The college hosts a free public viewing on the third Friday of every month in conjunction with the Santa […]

Soccer Teams Playoff-Bound 
By Scott Craig   |   November 19, 2024

Both the Westmont men’s and women’s soccer teams finished off their regular seasons with victories heading into PacWest Conference Tournament on Nov. 14 at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine. The women (9-7-2, 9-2 PacWest) have won four games in a row, defeating Dominican University of California 4-0 on Nov. 9 on Thorrington Field.  […]

Jensen Lands in New Science Chair
By Scott Craig   |   November 12, 2024

Daniel Jensen will be officially installed as the James R. and Eleanor S. Allder professor of science and technology in a formal, public ceremony Friday, Nov. 8th at 10:30 am in Murchison Gym. Jensen has directed Westmont’s burgeoning engineering program since it began in fall 2021. Jensen will speak at a panel discussion, “Considering Technology, […]

Final Days of ‘Night Visions’ 
By Scott Craig   |   November 12, 2024

There are only a few more days to see Night Visions: The Black Drawings of Duncan Simcoe, 2014-2024, which closes after Saturday, Nov. 9, in the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. This expansive, mystical exhibition features the black drawings of Simcoe, a Southern California artist and former program chair of the College of Architecture, Visual […]

Riotous Laughter at ‘39 Steps’
By Scott Craig   |   November 12, 2024

The Westmont Theatre Arts Department staged a hilarious version of John Buchan’s The 39 Steps that brought plenty of laughs through an unrelenting barrage of creative set-design gags and physical comedy. Director Mitchell Thomas masterfully squeezes out every laugh while navigating a plot that doesn’t take itself seriously. This was good lighthearted fun at its […]

Hat Trick Earns Honors for Martin 
By Scott Craig   |   November 12, 2024

Westmont’s Sierra Martin is the PacWest Women’s Soccer Player of the Week after booting three goals in the Warriors’ 3-1 victory over Academy of Art on Nov. 2 in San Francisco. This was the first hat trick in conference this season.  Martin and the Warriors close out the regular season at home with games against […]

Christmas Festival Offers a ‘Dwelling Place’
By Scott Craig   |   November 5, 2024

Westmont celebrates the 20th anniversary of its Christmas Festival, a highlight for many in Santa Barbara during Advent, on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 7 pm and Sunday, Dec. 15, at 3 pm, both at the Santa Barbara Granada Theatre. Tickets go on sale Monday, Nov. 4, at 10 am at westmont.edu/christmas-festival. For additional ticket information […]

Talk to Explore Maternity Care Deserts
By Scott Craig   |   November 5, 2024

Hospitals have increasingly been closing maternity departments around the country, including in California. Stephanie Curtis, a Certified Nurse-Midwife and Westmont instructor of nursing, examines the issue of maternity care deserts in a Westmont Downtown Lecture, “Delivering in the Desert: The Impact of Maternity Ward Closures,” on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 5:30 pm at the Community […]

Warriors Race to PacWest Honors
By Scott Craig   |   November 5, 2024

Westmont senior Zola Sokhela finished fifth at the PacWest Cross Country Championships in Irvine to claim First All-PacWest honors. The men’s team finished in fourth place out of 11 schools in the 8K race. Westmont’s men in the conference 8K – a pair of All-PacWest athletes – led the Warriors to a fourth place finish. […]

Volleyball Celebrates Seniors
By Scott Craig   |   November 5, 2024

The Westmont women’s volleyball team (10-9, 5-7 PacWest) will celebrate its seniors Kaili Hashimoto, Sara Krueger, and Taylor Distelberg on Friday, Nov. 1, at 7 pm prior to a match against Menlo College in Murchison Gym. Krueger leads the team with 179 kills. The Warriors have been stuck in the middle of the 14-team PacWest […]

Get Spaced Out at Monthly Star Party
By Scott Craig   |   October 22, 2024

Westmont’s powerful Keck Telescope takes aim at Saturn and a supermoon at this month’s free public stargazing event on Friday, Oct. 18, beginning about 7 pm and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory. The college hosts a monthly star party on the third Friday of each month in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Astronomical […]

Theater Performs ‘39 Steps’ at Speed of Fun
By Scott Craig   |   October 22, 2024

Westmont theatre offers The 39 Steps – a fast-paced murder mystery and international espionage plot, encompassing numerous characters played by just five actors – from October 25-26 at 7:30 pm and October 31 at 9 pm, November 1-2 at 7:30 pm and November 2 at 2 pm, all in Porter Theatre. Purchase tickets, which cost […]

Golf Teams Swing Early Wins
By Scott Craig   |   October 22, 2024

Westmont men’s and women’s golf received multiple honors from the PacWest Conference after outstanding performances at the Westmont Invitational earlier this month at Sandpiper Golf Club in Goleta.  The women’s team was named the PacWest Women’s Golf Team of the Week after capturing the tournament title with a four-stroke victory over both Point Loma and […]

Rocks of Remembrance
By Scott Craig   |   October 15, 2024

On the morning of March 27, 1989, Westmont students Lisa Bebout, Patty (Hallock) Crosby, Megan (Harter) Adams, Alan Voorman, and Garth Weedman drove in Voorman’s bright yellow Toyota Corolla from their camp in Ensenada, Mexico, to a nearby village. As members of the Potter’s Clay Construction Team, they were renovating a dilapidated house there. But […]

Former Provost Offers a Hopeful Middle
By Scott Craig   |   October 15, 2024

Polarization in our culture and politics has led to division, tension and hostility in our churches, workplaces and even our families. Shirley Mullen, former Westmont provost and history professor, encouraged the Westmont community to instead claim the powerful, redemptive potential of the courageous middle. “It’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever do, but it’s […]

Westmont Ranks Among Premier Colleges
By Scott Craig   |   October 8, 2024

For two decades, U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges list has ranked Westmont as the top Christian liberal arts college in California and the Western U.S. In the 2025 edition released today, Westmont appears at No. 108 (tied) among all national, not regional, liberal arts colleges. And, Westmont holds its rank as the top […]

Poli-Sci Prof. Explores ‘Hopeful Realism’
By Scott Craig   |   October 8, 2024

Jesse Covington, whose research explores the interrelation of religion and government, takes a step away from the current electoral matchup to look at enduring challenges Christians face in a context like the United States. He discusses “Hopeful Realism: Faith-Based Principles for Pluralist Democracy” at a Westmont Downtown Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 10, at 5:30 pm […]

Scheffler Putter Raffle
By Scott Craig   |   October 8, 2024

As part of the Westmont Classic Golf Tournament, the college will raffle off a TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter with the cover autographed by Scottie Scheffler. The golf tournament, which raises funds for student scholarships, will be held on Friday, Oct. 4, from noon to 6 pm at Glen Annie Golf Club. A barbecue dinner […]

Students to Celebrate Summer Research
By Scott Craig   |   October 8, 2024

Nearly 40 students will present their summer research findings at the annual Celebration of Summer Research on Friday, Oct. 4, from 3:30-5 pm in the Winter Hall Atrium. The Celebration of Summer Research, sponsored by the Office of the Provost, is free and open to the public. Students will present 19 posters representing the natural […]

Homecoming Honors Alumni
By Scott Craig   |   October 1, 2024

Westmont’s alums return to campus for Homecoming 2024 with an abundance of family-friendly events from October 4-6. Please visit westmont.edu/homecoming for the full schedule, prices and ticket information. The college will honor stellar individuals at the annual Alumni Awards Celebration Brunch on Saturday, October 5, from 9:45-11:30 am at the Global Leadership Center. Dr. Lauren […]

How Faith-Based Colleges Shape Students
By Scott Craig   |   October 1, 2024

Guests from the Lilly Network of more than 100 faith-based colleges and universities will examine the initial findings of a study about the intellectual-religious experience of undergraduates at the network’s national conference hosted by Westmont’s Gaede Institute for the Liberal Arts on September 27-29. The Springtide Institute study, commissioned by the Lilly Network of Church-Related […]

Beebe To Join Global Church in Korea
By Scott Craig   |   October 1, 2024

Westmont President Gayle D. Beebe has been serving as a delegate at the Fourth Lausanne Congress for World Evangelization on Sept. 22-28 in Incheon, South Korea. He has served as a college president for more than 25 years (18 at Westmont) and received his invitation through the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities. Beebe joins […]

New Faculty Bring Innovation, Expertise
By Scott Craig   |   September 24, 2024

Six new professors on tenure track or with multiyear contracts joined the Westmont faculty this fall. Jonathan Diaz (English), Kevin McGuire (economics and business), Sara Morrisset (history) and Jada Willis (kinesiology) step into tenure-track positions. Stephanie Cowell ‘04 (chemistry), Laura Drake Schultheis ‘06 (biology) and Mike Ryu (computer science) all previously taught at Westmont and […]

Put a Ring on It
By Scott Craig   |   September 24, 2024

The planet Saturn will be the star of the show on Friday, Sept. 20, from 7:30-10 pm at the Westmont Observatory. “If you haven’t seen this unique planet and its rings through a telescope before, I highly encourage you to come out and join us,” says Jen Ito, assistant professor of physics and director of […]

Stargazers to Be Moonstruck Saturday
By Scott Craig   |   September 17, 2024

The public is invited to join Westmont’s astrophysics students to learn more about the moon on NASA’s International Observe the Moon Night on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 7:30-9:30 pm at the Westmont Observatory.  “The moon is something we’re so used to seeing, and it’s an important part of our life here on Earth,” says Jen […]

Guerrero Scores Weekly Honors 
By Scott Craig   |   September 17, 2024

Westmont junior Erik Guerrero has been named the PacWest Men’s Soccer Player of the Week in the first such award of the year. Guerrero scored goals in both of the Warriors’ games last week. In the season opener against Simon Fraser (B.C.) on Sept. 5, Guerrero’s penalty kick in the 67th minute drew the Warriors […]

Study Finds Immediate Benefit to Churchgoers
By Scott Craig   |   September 17, 2024

The research of a Westmont sociologist who examined the effects of church attendance has garnered national attention. According to the study of U.S. adults, regular weekend attendance of a religious service creates an immediate increase in positive emotions as well as a decrease in negative ones. Researchers found there was no change in the emotional […]

Alum Shares Wildlife Art in ‘Fins, Feathers’
By Scott Craig   |   September 10, 2024

Alumnus Casey Underwood ’14 has returned to his alma mater to exhibit his diverse talents as an outdoor wildlife artist in “Fins and Feathers: The Art of Casey Underwood” from Aug. 29-Dec. 21 in the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art’s downstairs gallery. Underwood, an illustrator and outdoorsman living in southern Montana, has become one of […]

Warm Reception for Refreshed DC
By Scott Craig   |   September 10, 2024

Returning students created a buzz of excitement when they ventured into the newly renovated Westmont Dining Commons (DC). They were most excited about the adjoining outdoor patio, where workers installed an automatic sliding door from the dining room. “We have also added two fire pits, multiple heaters, a shade structure and all-new furniture to make […]