In its third year, the Montecito Student Film Festival will showcase a diverse selection drawn from nearly 900 submissions submitted by local, national and international student filmmakers on Saturday, Nov. 15, at Porter Theatre and surrounding venues on campus. Audiences will enjoy creative stories, meaningful documentaries, exciting visual storytelling techniques, and roundtable discussions featuring leading professionals in the […]
Westmont volleyball (10-14, 4-6 PacWest) outlasted the Vanguard Lions (16-7, 4-5) in five sets after leading two sets to none in Costa Mesa. “Our defense was incredible,” said Westmont head coach Ruth McGolpin. “Our defense was solid, and we came up big in the big moments. What made this one special was the fact that […]
Since six blocks of State Street closed in spring 2020, e‑bike usage has risen steadily, and the resulting increase in accidents has alarmed residents and local politicians. The Westmont Center for Dialogue and Deliberation decided to tackle this thorny issue at a community roundtable event with more than 50 people on October 23 at the Community […]
More than 200 high school singers come to campus on Friday, November 7, for a day of coaching from Westmont’s choral and vocal faculty before the Fall Choral Festival at 6 pm in First Presbyterian Church of Santa Barbara. The performance is free and open to the public. The Westmont College Choir and Chamber Singers […]
Westmont celebrated 50 years of women’s athletics during Homecoming weekend, drawing what may have been the largest gathering of athletic alumnae and current student-athletes in college history. The weekend’s sport-specific events culminated in a dinner honoring women’s athletics trailblazers and legacy builders, attended by about 200 guests and 125 current female student-athletes at Montecito Covenant […]
More than 30 student researchers presented 20 different projects at the annual Celebration of Summer Research on Oct. 16 in Winter Hall. Many of the students worked as paid, full-time research assistants, collaborating with professors on cutting-edge projects that sometimes extend into the school year. Providing opportunities for students to conduct significant research with faculty […]
Westmont dedicated a new stained-glass window during an intimate service inside the Nancy Voskuyl Prayer Chapel on October 16. Nancy Voskuyl, a Westmont student and the daughter of President Roger and Trudy Voskuyl, died in a tragic automobile accident in 1959 on Sycamore Canyon Road. To honor her, the college built the Nancy Voskuyl Memorial […]
Two goals in the second half gave Westmont women’s soccer a come-from-behind, 2-1 victory over the Eagles of Biola on Oct. 18 in front of a large Homecoming crowd at Thorrington Field. “What a fun, fun game to come out with the win,” said Westmont’s head coach Lauren Matthias, “especially on Homecoming Weekend. We had […]
Under sunny skies with temperatures in the 80s, about 30 foursomes of golfers drove toward victory with the goal of raising scholarship funds for Westmont students at Glen Annie Golf Club. The 14th annual Westmont Golf Classic awarded top golfers and offered unique raffle prizes, including Scottie Scheffler-autographed golf flags. The foursome of Dr. Michael […]
The Westmont Center for Dialogue and Deliberation takes on the hot button issue of e-bikes at its next conversation on Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Community Environmental Council’s (CEC) Environmental Hub, 1219 State Street. The event, “E-Bikes: Balancing Freedom, Safety, and the Spirit of Santa Barbara – A Community Conversation,” is free and open to […]
Westmont’s powerful Keck Telescope zooms in on the rings of Saturn on Friday, Oct. 17, beginning about 7 pm and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory. Westmont hosts a stargazing event the third Friday of each month in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit, whose members bring telescopes to share. “Saturn will be […]
The college celebrates half a century of women’s sports at a sold-out dinner Saturday, Oct. 18, at 5 pm at Montecito Covenant Church. Women’s athletics at Westmont has a rich tradition in both competition, and in helping student-athletes mature in all areas of life. Athletic accomplishments include eight national championships, 21 national top four finishes, […]
by Scott Craig, photos by Brad Elliott Westmont alums return to campus October 17-19 for Homecoming and a weekend of events, including the annual Alumni Awards Celebration Brunch and Westmont Golf Classic. Find the full schedule of events at westmont.edu/homecoming. The celebration brunch will honor Alumnus of the Year Rob Ring (’90), Alumnae of the […]
Westmont College Theatre presents Sophocles’ ancient and disturbing tragedy Antigone with fresh language and new life in a poetic and thrilling production from Oct. 24-Nov. 1 at Westmont’s Porter Theatre. Tickets to the play, “Antigonick,” which cost $20 for general admission and $12 for students, seniors and staff, are available for purchase at westmont.edu/boxoffice. Show […]
Ben Carlson, assistant professor of physics at Westmont, explores the scientific foundations of today’s most pressing energy and climate issues in a Westmont Downtown Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 9, at 5:30 pm at the Community Arts Workshop, 631 Garden Street, in downtown Santa Barbara. The talk, “Energy and Climate Through the Lens of Basic Science,” […]
Westmont College continues to be recognized as the top Christian liberal arts college in the West, according to top national rankings. U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges lists Westmont as one of the top 10 Christian liberal arts colleges in California. Overall, Westmont continues to be one of the top two nationally ranked members […]
Westmont women’s golf competed in its second tournament of the young season, losing to the hosts, Westminster University, by one stroke to finish in second place out of the 11-team field Sept. 22 at Glenmoor Golf Course in South Jordan, Utah. As a result of the Warrior’s performance, the team was named the PacWest Women’s […]
Westmont’s engineering program has earned full ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accreditation following an extensive three-year process that involved reviewing facilities, faculty, students, and funding. Only two other Christian colleges in California have received this accreditation, retroactive to October 2022. The significant designation boosts engineering alums. “I recently talked to a hiring manager […]
A Westmont art professor has the toast-worthy talent the California Avocado Festival judges wanted. They unveiled Scott Anderson’s playful illustration – an avocado sunbathing on the beach – at the Carpinteria Farmers Market. Available now, limited-edition posters and T-shirts featuring his design will also be sold at the 39th annual celebration, “Peace, Love & Guacamole,” […]
Alumna Kailie Grinder (‘16), who earned a doctorate in intercultural studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, has returned to campus as Westmont’s intercultural programs (ICP) interim director. A student leader in ICP during her college years, she created spaces where all students, including students of color and those from international backgrounds, could feel they belonged. “God […]
The ringed gas giant Saturn comes into focus at Westmont’s stargazing event on Friday, September 19, beginning at sunset and lasting several hours. The solar system’s Hula-Hoop champion will start low in the evening sky, but will be visible later in the evening after 8 pm. The Owl Cluster, Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, and […]
Sophomore midfielder Ellie Gilbert scored in the 86th minute to give Westmont women’s soccer (0-3) a 1-0 exhibition victory over Cal Lutheran on September 13 at Thorrington Field. The contest was considered a countable game for the Regals. Gilbert was fouled with less than five minutes remaining in the game, setting up a free kick […]
Westmont volleyball (4-3) opened the season unbeaten in the Sunbird Classic hosted by Fresno Pacific, beating UC Merced, Stanislaus State, and Chico State. But the Warriors ran into some stiff competition at the Nighthawk Classic in Nampa, Idaho, dropping three of four matches to Seattle Pacific, Colorado Mines, and Westminster (Utah). “I’m proud of the […]
Westmont welcomes eight new tenure-track professors this fall: James Davidson (sociology), David Emanuel (religious studies), Kyle Hansen ‘19 (mathematics), Sally Hawkins (education), Raymond Kim (economics), Smaranda Lawrie (psychology), Nicole Marsh ‘17 (biology), and Claudia Molina (Spanish). Davidson has served as an assistant professor at Westmont since 2023, and he frequently collaborates with Westmont professor Blake […]
Westmont’s talented art faculty, who inspire students to envision exciting, real-world possibilities for their own creative paths, offer an impressive range of works from their innovative careers in Lines of Inquiry: Westmont Art Faculty Exhibition Fall 2025 from Sept. 4-Nov. 1, in the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. The museum hosts a free, public opening […]
Westmont men’s soccer jumped out to an early lead and then battled back from a three-goal deficit but came up just short in a 4-3 loss to the crosstown Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara on Aug. 30 at Harder Stadium. This exhibition game was the 63rd edition of the Community Shield between the NCAA Division […]
About 400 first-year, transfer and nursing students arrive at Westmont for Orientation and Warrior Welcome on August 27-31. Off campus, 38 students begin the Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing program, joining two other cohorts of students enrolled in the accelerated 16-month Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Most of the 71 first-generation students (18% of […]
Sheila Snyder, who compiled 438 coaching victories as the women’s tennis head coach at Wayne State (MI) for 35 years, is the head coach of Westmont Women’s Tennis. “Coach Snyder has an impressive history of building a very successful Division II women’s tennis program, developing leaders and fostering excellence in the team culture that she […]
Westmont’s expanding role in local college-prep programs has led to a noticeable increase in local student enrollment over the last three to five years. This momentum was clearly on display at two recent events hosted by the Santa Barbara Unified School District’s Program for Effective Access to College (PEAC) and the Scholarship Foundation of Santa […]
A notable new arrival now graces Westmont’s campus: Maternity, a nearly 2,000-pound bronze sculpture by renowned South American artist Fernando Botero. The Santa Barbara Museum of Art has loaned the work to Westmont from the collection of the late Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree. Standing about nine feet tall, the piece – in Botero’s self-definitive style of […]
This month’s stargazing event will feature several star clusters, including M18, the Black Swan Cluster in Sagittarius, on Friday, August 15, beginning about 8:30 pm and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory; home of the powerful Keck Telescope. The college hosts a free public viewing of the stars that lasts several hours, on the […]
Westmont scientists join thousands of researchers worldwide who have been honored with the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, awarded to the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, a particle physics laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland, as well as several related experiments. The Breakthrough Prize specifically highlights the ATLAS Collaboration’s significant contributions […]
Female nurses who believe God intervenes to cure ill people are less likely to experience depressive symptoms, according to findings published in Mental Health, Religion & Culture. The study, which uses interviews from nearly 4,000 American Indian and South Asian women as well as white, female nurses, asked respondents who believe in God to choose […]
Westmont is finishing renovations at the Keith Center, 29 West Anapamu, which will eventually house several programs, including the expansion of Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing and other post-secondary allied health programs, as well as other post-secondary programs that meet the growing needs of the dynamic community. The Center for Applied Technology Lab (CATLab) will […]
The Martin Institute and the Dallas Willard Research Center (MIDWRC) at Westmont College have chosen Tyler J. VanderWeele’s A Theology of Health: Wholeness and Human Flourishing (University of Notre Dame Press) for the 2025 Book Award. The MIDWRC Book Award program was created in 2015 to help place an enduring emphasis on the intellectual and […]
Higher education must enhance student experiences and foster meaningful relationships if it’s to meet the challenge of rapidly advancing AI. That was the message at Westmont’s Impact Conference, which brought higher education technology leaders to campus from July 24-25. They stressed that technology should serve, not supplant, the social networks and values at the heart […]
Beginning this fall, Westmont offers a new environmental studies major to engage pressing climate-related issues, explore environmental stewardship through the lens of Christian theology and ethics, and examine the links between social and environmental justice. Since adding an environmental studies minor in 2019, Westmont has hosted several national climate workshops, including Faith. Climate. Action., and […]
The Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art is keeping the celebration alive. While the party to honor Judy L. Larson – who retired after 17 years of directing the museum – has concluded, the sizable exhibition, Building A Collection: 2008-2025, continues through Saturday, August 2. Interim Director Chris Rupp has scoured through the 2,500 art objects […]
Lee Park (‘22) marched into a career soon after graduating from Westmont and being commissioned as a second lieutenant. Participating in Army ROTC as a student first at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) and then at Westmont led to his position as an assistant operations officer in an Army Combat Sustainment Support Battalion at Joint […]
Westmont celebrated service anniversaries and recognized its Employees of the Year at the annual Staff and Faculty Appreciation Brunch on campus. This year’s Employees of the Year were Charles Ryu, Christen Foell (‘01) and Aaron Sizer (‘01). Ryu, an overachieving mobile, web application, and content management system developer, recently appeared on John Stossel TV to […]