In a shaded, wooded area with temperatures climbing into the low 90s, young researchers meticulously scrape away layers of sediment using specialized trowels, brushes, and screens. The scene resembles an excavation in the Middle East, but these students are working near Westmont’s community garden on lower campus. They are enrolled in Introduction to Archaeology, a […]
Tucked between mountain peaks and the Pacific Ocean, Westmont College secures a prominent place selected among the nation’s 40 most beautiful campuses in a new report from U.S. News & World Report. The publication, which annually releases a top 40 list, praises the college’s historic buildings, serene gardens, and picturesque coastal backdrop. “We always knew […]
What kind of education prepares graduates not just for a first job, but for a lifetime of meaningful leadership? A compelling new book, Leadership and the Liberal Arts: An Education to Last a Lifetime, edited by Westmont President Gayle D. Beebe, makes the case for the enduring power of the Christian liberal arts. The 288-page […]
Westmont has received a $457,745 grant to expand its efforts to integrate intellectual, moral, and spiritual formation directly into classroom instruction and campus culture. Administered through the Educating Character Initiative, a project of the Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University, which aims to catalyze a national movement placing virtue and character at […]
An energetic crowd of more than 100 gathered for the October 1 public kickoff of the Sacred Stories Project, a five-year initiative, that aims to create spaces for young adults in their 20s to share and celebrate stories of faith, vocation, and identity. Guests gathered outdoors at Westmont Downtown | Keith Center to connect over […]
Encounter Virginia Woolf, a lonely puppet, a curious opossum, and two worms who fall in love all in a single evening as the Westmont College Theatre Arts Department stages an eccentric, fast-paced slate of short-form storytelling. Performances of The Future is Short, set in a variety of site-specific locations in and around Porter Theatre, take […]
Westmont men’s and women’s cross country competed at The Master’s Invitational in Santa Clarita on October 3 with the men finishing as the top NCAA Division II team in the field. The men, who scored 107 points to claim third place among 17 teams, were led by freshman Phillip Contakes who placed 10th with a […]
Westmont men’s soccer (3-5-4, 1-1-1, PacWest) powered through 95-degree heat at Thorrington Field on October 3, delivering a 3-0 shutout victory over conference opponent Jessup (2-6-1, 0-1). Following a scoreless first half in which both teams recorded three shots on goal, the Warriors broke through in the 53rd minute. Julius Oehmichen lofted a pass across […]
Engineering professors Dan Jensen and Kristin L. Wood lead an interactive Westmont Downtown lecture, “Having Fun with Everyday AI and Robotics: Life Implications,” on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 5:30 pm at Westmont Downtown | Keith Center, 29 W. Anapamu St. The event offers a hands-on exploration of artificial intelligence and robotics. Attendees should bring a […]
Summer training gave the Westmont women’s swimming program a profound new purpose this year. Head Coach Jill Lin, her nearly five-year-old son, Caden, and 10 swimmers, including three recent graduates, traveled to Northern Thailand for a historic outreach trip from July 30-Aug. 16. “Paladin Rescue Alliance reached out to our team, and once we learned […]
Westmont alumna Ella Jennings (’23) presents her oil paintings on salvaged wood panels in What Remains, a joint exhibition with woodturner Don Scott at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara. The exhibition runs through Nov. 7, with an artist talk on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 2 pm at the gallery, 229 E. Victoria St. What […]
Westmont College continues its rise among the nation’s premier institutions, climbing six spots to No. 109 (tied) among National Liberal Arts Colleges in the 2027 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings. For more than two decades, Westmont has maintained its standing as the No. 1 Christian liberal arts college in California and the […]
Inside Montecito Covenant Church Gym, the energy is undeniable, even during just the third practice in program history. Thick mats cover the floor as student-athletes refine precision passes, practice jump sequences, and coordinate intricate tosses. For Westmont, this gathering is far more than a routine training session, it represents the unfolding of a historic new […]
Westmont Theatre Arts unleashes Momentum! A Musical Revue, an exhilarating showcase celebrating the courage to leap into the unknown, chase ambitious dreams and embrace life’s unexpected turns. Directed by Samantha Eve, Westmont instructor of theater arts and artistic director of Out of the Box Theatre Company, the show features dynamic performances that highlight the choices […]
Westmont invites the community to explore the cosmos during a free public stargazing event Friday, Sept. 18, starting at 7 pm and lasting several hours. Held in conjunction with NASA’s International Observe the Moon Night, the evening unleashes the power of Westmont’s Keck Telescope alongside high-powered instruments from the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit to bring […]
When Ethan Ish (‘29) arrived at Westmont as a first-year student, he saw a wealth of possibilities in the engineering department, but he wanted a direct, immediate way to engage with his passion for aerospace. Guided by a desire to build professional connections, he turned to the internet to find opportunities. “Networking is important for […]
The Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art presents “Haptic Knowing,” a new exhibition showcasing five artists whose work explores touch not merely as a physical action, but as a form of inquiry and a way of thinking, learning and understanding the world. The exhibition runs through November 7. Derived from the Greek word haptesthai, meaning to […]
Driven by the belief that collective collaboration far outweighs individual effort, nearly 20 theater professionals from across the country gathered at Westmont College on August 13–14 to launch the Association of Christian Theatre Schools (ACTS). Funded by a grant from the Lilly Network, the new initiative helps faith-based drama faculty grow spiritually, artistically and vocationally […]
Five tenure-track professors, including a returning alumnus and an international design expert, join the Westmont faculty this fall, bringing a shared commitment to integrating faith with academic excellence. The new tenure-track appointments include Stephen Owusu (economics and business), Gregg Ten Elshof ’92 (philosophy), Demetrius Tucker (English), Jarrett Walbolt (kinesiology) and Kristin Wood (engineering). Owusu, who […]
Westmont’s first nursing cohort to graduate during the summer term honored 19 new registered nurses at a traditional pinning ceremony Aug. 20 at Montecito Covenant Church. The Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing Program has quickly expanded to include three cohorts studying each year. The ceremony, which dates to the 1860s, symbolizes both the mastery of […]
About 400 new students arrive at Westmont for Orientation and Warrior Welcome from Aug. 26-30. First-generation students and 21 international students, including dual citizens, missionary and third-culture students, arrive early on Tuesday, Aug. 25, for First Connections. The pre-Orientation program emphasizes the cultural transition and interpersonal connections vital to thriving in college. The Orientation Team […]
Westmont marks its 89th year with an historic event: full accreditation for the college’s first graduate nursing programs. The WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) has officially approved two off-campus graduate nursing programs: a Master’s Entry Program in Nursing (MEPN) and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). “These new graduate programs meet a […]
The Westmont Observatory opens to the public for a near total lunar eclipse on Thursday, August 27, beginning at 8:30 pm with the max eclipse set to happen at 9:12 pm. Members of the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit will also attend with telescopes to share. Jennifer Gee, assistant professor of physics and director of the […]
High school students from across the country converged on Westmont this summer to measure the speed of light, characterize electroplated copper through an electron microscope, and contemplate how faith, philosophy and history shape scientific discovery. The inaugural Science by the Sea camp welcomed 12 rising high school juniors and seniors, including six out-of-state students and […]
Building on a decade of successful summer youth programming, Westmont launches a year-round community music school designed for every age and skill level. Joanne Kim, who teaches clarinet at Westmont and Santa Barbara City College, directs the Westmont Music Academy (WeMA), which begins its inaugural session Aug. 28 on the Montecito campus. WeMA builds on […]
First-year Westmont track and field student-athlete Hazel Wilson added another milestone to her young career this summer, representing Guam at the 2026 Oceania Athletics Championships in Darwin, Australia, where she earned multiple medals, set a national record, and helped showcase the growth of track and field in her home country. Wilson’s journey to Westmont began […]
Westmont women’s soccer players returned home from a service trip to Kenya with memories extending far beyond soccer clinics and athletic drills. Through a partnership with Sports Outreach International, the team spent two weeks serving children and families in Nairobi and Kibera, building international relationships and engaging in community outreach. For head coach Lauren Matthias […]
A longtime Westmont theater professor helped create a process encouraging college students to develop short plays. In the past 13 years, the Hive has yielded 120 plays by MFA playwrights from various universities, providing eclectic and diverse material for Westmont’s annual Fringe Festival. Mitchell Thomas, who has taught acting, voice, and movement for more than […]
Making the transition from higher education to the professional workforce can be daunting for college graduates. Westmont’s Center for Applied Technology Lab (CATLab) rewrites that narrative by creating a direct bridge to the tech sector. This summer, the program’s impact reaches new heights through an expansive partnership with Webconnex, an event ticketing company that Westmont […]
Westmont men’s basketball competes in a memorable cross-cultural athletic exchange in Taiwan from July 28 to August 2. The Warriors open the five-game BLIA Cup tournament against teams from the Brian Kerle Basketball Academy of Australia, the University of Tsukuba in Japan, and the Hou Chon Sports Club of Macau, China. “It’s a tremendous head […]
When Ed Boersma (’85) attended Westmont in the 1980s, he competed in track and field yet always loved tennis. A lifelong fan, he played competitively after college in United States Tennis Association (USTA) events and eventually took a special interest in the Warrior tennis program, establishing a generous annual tennis scholarship. He noticed the college […]
A liberal arts education propelled Brett Isselhardt (’03) to a career in national security science. A staff scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the East Bay Area, he specializes in analyzing nuclear materials to support nonproliferation, forensics, and energy research. He earned a doctorate in nuclear engineering from UC Berkeley after majoring in physics […]
Westmont alumnus Michael Hemmett (‘25) has received a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship to support his pioneering work in marine geology and geophysics. After graduating from Westmont with a degree in physics, he’s completing a doctorate in earth and space sciences at the University of Washington. His research focuses on natural hazards […]
Alumnus Sam Renwick (’95) has created a successful career translating scientific uncertainty into economic insight, helping healthcare and life science companies backed by venture capital navigate high-stakes financial decisions. For more than two decades, he has spun a complex track blending biopharma valuation and forecasting with venture capital strategy. “You have concepts on your left […]
When Edd Noell first arrived at Westmont in 1986, he sought more than just a job.He wanted to join a community that considered the study of market forces and financial systems to be a profound expression of faith. After four decades of service, the professor of economics and business has retired, leaving behind a legacy […]
Millie Thomas (’27) was just 12 years old when she began drafting the verses and reflections that eventually became her first book. The sociology major and religious studies minor from Charlotte, North Carolina, has officially published Purpose in You: 50 Devotionals for Tween and Teen Girls on Placing Their Purpose in God! After letting it […]
The Martin Institute and the Dallas Willard Research Center at Westmont have given Grace Hamman’s Ask of Old Paths: Medieval Virtues and Vices for a Whole and Holy Life (Zondervan, 2025) the Dallas Willard Book Award for 2026. The award recognizes original literature focused on Christian character formation to honor Willard’s intellectual and spiritual legacy. […]
Abstract acrylic painter Josephine Tournier Ingram’s (’00) growing art career eventually collided with domestic life. As demand for her work surged, canvases began taking over her home. “Paintings were spilling into the guest studio,” she says. “And then I discovered spaghetti on one of them.” Realizing her home studio had officially been outgrown, she knew […]
A grant of nearly $100,000 from the Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) will fund a strategic, institution-wide Westmont program encouraging students to explore potential careers early in their college experience. “Helping students develop vocationally takes a village,” says Lori Ann Banez, director of Westmont’s Career Resource Center (CRC). “The grant will fund the […]
The rapidly accelerating world of artificial intelligence often fuels a modern culture of anxiety, but Santa Barbara tech executive and author Zack Kass believes humanity stands on the precipice of its greatest era yet. The audience of about 300 people reacted to his lively talk with applause on several occasions and gave him a standing […]