Westmont hosts a star party of sorts on Friday, July 21, beginning about 8 pm and lasting several hours at the observatory. The college’s powerful Keck Telescope, a computer-controlled 24-inch reflector, is available to the public every third Friday of month in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit (SBAU). Members of the SBAU bring […]
It’s official: Westmont launches into a new era of athletic competition to play in the NCAA Division II this fall. The NCAA formally notified the college that it is approved to move on to the second year of provisional status, which allows them to compete in the PacWest Conference beginning this coming year. “The move […]
Chris Elwood returns to Westmont as head coach of men’s tennis, a position he previously held for 14 years (1993-97, 2001-09). “In a competitive pool of candidates, Chris stood out as someone with great experience, a strong vision for the program, and a compelling plan to build for the future,” says Westmont Director of Athletics […]
About 40 students and faculty from Christian colleges and universities learned about climate change and its widespread effects at an environmental conference June 25 – July 2 hosted at Westmont’s leafy 111-acre campus. More than two dozen top scholars spoke at “Faith. Climate. Action: A Workshop on Christian Climate Advocacy,” which included outdoor worship services, […]
This summer, Westmont violinist Sophia Chan (’25) performs at the Aspen Music Festival and School (June 29-August 20), one of the top classical music festivals in the United States that features more than 600 classical music students from around the world. “It’s insanely competitive – she is joining students from top conservatories around the world, […]
The top Southern California high school baseball players in the class of 2024 and 2025 will be showcased at the Area Code Tryouts hosted by the Milwaukee Brewers July 6-7 from 9 am to 4 pm at Westmont’s Russell Carr Field. Scouts from many top NCAA colleges and the MLB will be in attendance. Afterward, […]
Westmont biologist Amanda Sparkman (’03) and her research collaborators have won a two-million-dollar, four-year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to continue investigating the evolution of dwarfism in Channel Islands National Park reptiles. The study focuses on five species, including the gopher snake, western yellow-bellied racer, southern alligator lizard, western fence lizard, and side-blotched […]
In 2004, Lauren Bianchi Klemann (’04)traveled to the Middle East with former Westmont professor Bruce Fisk. A graduating senior, she wanted to visit places such as Syria, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan. “It fed my soul,” she says. “The experience combined my passions: looking at political and religious landscapes. Exploring physical history and the political landscape […]
A record three Westmont graduates have earned prestigious Fulbright Scholarships this year to teach and conduct research around the world. Ebun Kalejaiye (’23) will teach English in Spain, Cody LeFebre (’22) will teach English in Colombia, and Valerie Swisher (’22) will study personal experiences and perceptions of mental health care in Hungary. Also, recent graduate […]
Recent Westmont graduate Kimberly Quezada Carrillo, president of the college’s first-generation club, penned a poem to thank her parents, Manuel and Maria. The Light of your Eyes I am The Light of your eyes,To which you let dream of everything that is great.You made me an ambitious person,And you taught me the most valuable thing.Your […]
Westmont Athletics ended its final season in the NAIA with the baseball team diving onto a celebratory dogpile. The Warriors secured a nail-biting 7-6 World Series victory over the hosts, Lewis-Clark State, claiming the college’s 10th national championship. Westmont will compete in NCAA Division II this fall after more than seven decades with the NAIA. […]
Alumnus Chris Chirgwin (’95) brought more than two decades of executive IT leadership and consulting experience to Santa Barbara County as its first Chief Information Officer in 12 years. During his first six months, he’s mapping a new strategic plan to make IT its own department. “The existing IT team has been keeping the day-to-day […]
Westmont launches a new program to cultivate wisdom in Christian leaders and offers a post-baccalaureate Certificate in Theological Leadership. The initiative begins January 2024 with an inaugural cohort of 25 students. It’s designed for ministry professionals, laypeople eager to grow spiritually, and recent college graduates considering seminary. For more information, please visit westmont.edu/theo-leadership. President Gayle […]
Rae Dunn, a popular Bay Area artist and juror of this year’s annual Tri-County Juried Exhibition, handed out cash awards to local artists on May 18 at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. Mixed Up celebrates the multitude of talented artists in our local region. Dunn reviewed several hundred submissions from area artists for the […]
Westmont baseball (43-8), the sixth ranked team in the NAIA, returns this week to the Avista NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. The Warriors earned a berth in the 10-team, double-elimination tournament by defeating No. 13 Benedictine Mesa of Arizona (44-14) 10-1 in the final game of the Santa Barbara Opening Round Tournament on May […]
Westmont kicked off its new Young Adult Leadership Lab (YALL), which supports the spiritual lives of young adults in their 20s, with 100 local clergy members and lay leaders at a day-long seminar held on campus. Steve Argue, applied research strategist for the Fuller Youth Institute and associate professor of youth, family and culture at […]
The Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art highlights the exceptional talent of local artists in its annual Tri-County Juried Exhibition, “Mixed Up,” from Thursday, May 18, to June 17. The public is invited to a free, opening reception on May 18 from 4-6 pm. Award winners will be announced at 5:15 pm. Rae Dunn, popular Bay […]
A stellar lineup of internationally renowned speakers, authors, CEOs, visionaries, and luminaries descend on Westmont’s eighth annual LEAD Where You Stand Conference from Saturday, May 31, to Monday, June 2, at the college’s Global Leadership Center. The event’s speakers will offer empowering leadership principles and best practices for any sphere or line of work and […]
Following Commencement, the Westmont College Choir and Chamber Singers took off on a nine-day tour to Tokyo, Japan — the first international choir tour since the COVID-19 pandemic. Led by Daniel Gee ’13, director of choral activities, the choir’s itinerary includes joint concerts with Japanese collegiate ensembles, including those from Waseda University and the Tokyo […]
by Scott Craig, photo by Brad Elliott Under scattered skies two days after a rare May rainstorm, the 332 graduates of the Westmont College Class of 2023 marched to Thorrington Field on May 6 led by bagpipe fanfare. The celebration, which featured the inaugural graduating classes in both engineering and nursing, included speeches full of […]
About 332 graduates will participate in Commencement on Saturday, May 6, at 9:30 am on Thorrington Field with 149 graduating with honors. Westmont’s inaugural cohort of eight nursing students will attend the ceremony, marking the culmination of their 16-month education in the Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing program. Also, 49 Golden Warriors who graduated in […]
Westmont College, which has worked to develop Christian ministers and leaders to serve in every sphere of society for 85 years, hosts a one-day conference dedicated to encouraging, refreshing, and supporting pastors. The event features speakers President Gayle D. Beebe, musician Steve Bell, poet Malcolm Guite, and Provost Kim Battle-Walters Denu on Tuesday, May 30, […]
Thirty Westmont students have been certified in CPR/first aid thanks to a new group that seeks to create a safer environment on campus. Junior Paige Freeburg has brought her passion for helping others to the student-led group, Westmont Student Emergency Medical Services (SEMS). Even though campus safety officers patrol the college 24/7, Freeburg says having […]
Two Westmont students won David K. Winter Servant Leadership Awards for showing vision, courage, humility, integrity, and competence as leaders. Angela D’Amour, Dean of Student Engagement, introduced the 23rd annual awardees, junior Joy Sturges from Redding and sophomore David Shiang from West Hills, on April 14 in Westmont chapel. The award recognizes the late David […]
Steve L. Porter, the new senior research fellow and Executive Director of Westmont’s Martin Institute for Christianity and Culture, offers his inaugural lecture Friday, April 28, at 3:30 pm in the Global Leadership Center. The talk, “Knowing Christ Today: The Shape of Christian Spiritual Formation in the Academy and Church for the Sake of the […]
Two Westmont alums have received prestigious Graduate Research Fellowships from the National Science Foundation. Braden Chaffin (’23) and Chisondi Warioba (’21) have been chosen for the program whose purpose “is to ensure the quality, vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States.” The five-year fellowship provides three years of financial […]
More than 40 Westmont students will present their findings on 29 posters at the 2023 Spring Student Research Symposium on April 20 from 3:30-5 pm around the Winter Hall third floor atrium. There will also be four students reading selections of their original works of fiction and poetry as part of their English capstone project. […]
Westmont’s Fringe Festival, an annual smash-up of experimental theatre, dance, film, and performance art, kicks off for four days from April 20-23 around Porter Theatre, and downtown at the Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop. Tickets — $10 for a day pass, $20 for an all-access pass, and $15 for a student/senior all-access pass – may […]
A large crowd packed into the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art to see the stunning capstone projects of six senior art majors on April 6. A Space of Her Own – which features art projects ranging from paintings to prints, and from photography to sculptural installation – will be on display through May 6 at […]
Rebecca McNamara, Westmont assistant professor of English, speaks about care and compassion for those struggling with suicide or affected by the trauma of suicide in late medieval England in a Westmont Downtown Lecture on Thursday, April 13, at 5:30 pm at the Community Arts Workshop (CAW), 631 Garden Street, in downtown Santa Barbara. “Care in […]
Westmont officially installed its new provost and dean in a joyful celebration of the life, faith and career of Kimberly Battle-Walters Denu, who began her accomplished professional arc as a first-generation college student from South Central Los Angeles. “This is a culmination of my childhood play,” she said. “When I was young, for as long […]
Westmont’s longest running on-campus tradition, Spring Sing, was held at the Santa Barbara Bowl on April 1. Students from off campus – and the Ocean View Apartments – were the big winners of the competition. They produced an original skit, “The Day Scott Lost His Mind,” about campus pastor Scott Lisea, deftly incorporating an homage […]
Dr. Kimberly Battle-Walters Denu will be officially installed as provost and dean of the faculty at Westmont on Friday, March 31, from 10:30 – 11:20 am in Murchison Gym. The event is free and open to the public. “We look forward to coming together as a community to thank God for His faithfulness and celebrate […]
The curtain may have closed on the inaugural Montecito Student Film Festival, but there is still a buzz about the spectacular young filmmaking talent in our community. For about five hours, cinephiles filled Westmont’s Porter Theatre to screen 20 student films on March 25. In the end, Westmont sophomore Campbell Ralph of Fox Island, Washington, […]
Westmont baseball (25-5) extended its winning streak to 15 games by taking two doubleheaders against Bethesda University on March 24-25 at Russ Carr Field. The Warriors, ranked 12th in the NAIA, have completed four straight series sweeps, and the fifth this season. The Warriors host Jessup in two double headers on March 31 and April […]
The Westmont Music Department awarded large scholarships to instrumentalists and singers as part of its annual guild competitions, attracting stellar young musical talent to the region. Aaron Wu, a cellist from Glendale, won the 11th annual Instrumental Guild Competition on Feb. 25 and will receive more than $10,000 in annual music scholarships (more than $40,000 […]
Westmont Baseball (21-5, 10-2 GSAC), ranked 18th in the NAIA, completed a three-game series sweep of No. 9 Vanguard (17-11, 5-7) at Russ Carr Field. The Warriors won the first game 8-7 in 12 innings on March 17 thanks to the strong starting pitching from sophomore right-hander Bryan Peck who only allowed two earned runs […]
Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer-Prize winning historian and bestselling author, drew parallels between the United States’ response to aid Britain in the early years of World War II, and the U.S.’s partnership with Ukraine in its war with Russia at the 18th annual Westmont President’s Breakfast on March 10. President Gayle D. Beebe gave Goodwin, speaker […]
The inaugural Montecito Student Film Festival showcases the impressive work of undergraduate students from California colleges and universities with screenings on Saturday, March 25, in Porter Theatre. A jury of industry professionals and special guests will judge and award the top prizes, while polls determine the winner of the Audience Award. “Montecito has a robust […]
Janell Balmaceda uses a pitchfork to spread mulch over the walkways that weave between the garden rows below Thorrington Field. Student intern Peter Schramm (’25) hammers together pieces from several wooden pallets to create new compost bins. This spring, the Westmont garden will be flourishing again, thanks in large part to Balmaceda, Westmont’s new sustainability […]