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 […]
The 21st annual Conversation on the Liberal Arts explores how a liberal arts education can prepare us for the future, March 2-4 at the Global Leadership Center. “Educating for the Unknown: Liberal Arts in the Age of Climate Change,” sponsored by the Gaede Institute, attracts teachers, administrators, and students from around the country. “We’ll spend […]
Wet weather and storm watches didn’t keep people away from the opening weekend of the Westmont College Festival Theatre’s world premiere Diamond to Dust: A Flying A Fantasy. Director John Blondell and writer Michael Bernard, a local actor, educator and playwright, have brought Santa Barbara’s treasured cinematic history to the stage in a creative exploration […]
G. James Daichendt, art critic, curator, art historian, and dean of the colleges at Point Loma University, examines how street art is changing the art world and how we engage art in a free public lecture, “Street Art Now,” on Thursday, Feb. 23, from 4:30 to 5:30 pm at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. […]
La Cañada High School ran circles around the competition in Westmont’s 34th annual Mathematics Field Day on Feb. 11 in Winter Hall. About 100 regional high school students matched math wits in the event on the eve of the Super Bowl, but it was La Cañada that was the Overall Winner for 9-10th grades and […]
The No. 5 Westmont women’s basketball team was led by its seniors in the final regular-season game of the 2022-23 season on Feb. 18. The Warriors (23-2, 16-2 GSAC) beat Golden State Athletic Conference foe Jessup (81-44) on the shoulders of Stefanie Berberabe and Sydney Brown. Berberabe produced her third triple-double of the season and […]
This month’s Stargazing at the Westmont Observatory features a diverse celestial menu of planets, Messier objects, open clusters, and double stars on Friday, Feb. 17, beginning about 6 pm and lasting for several hours. The observatory, home of the powerful Keck Telescope, is open to the public every third Friday of the month and held […]
The Westmont Orchestra performs at several locations as part of a Presidents’ Day weekend tour, Feb. 16-18. These concerts are open to the public and free. The orchestra will perform “Amazing Grace,” Bizet’s “Carmen Suite” and Franck’s “Symphony in D minor” at 7 pm Thursday in San Marcos High School (4750 Hollister Ave., Santa Barbara); […]
Westmont women’s swimming finished ahead of all other NAIA teams in the Pacific Collegiate Swim Conference Championships Feb. 8-11 at East Los Angeles College. In their fourth year, the Warriors were able to beat Fresno Pacific and Alaska-Fairbanks, which have been their biggest rivals. The meet also provided an opportunity to honor Westmont’s graduating seniors, […]
Westmont’s John Blondell discusses the world premiere play that will bring Santa Barbara’s silent film history to the stage in a Westmont Downtown Lecture Thursday, February 16, at 5:30 pm in the Community Arts Workshop (CAW), 631 Garden Street, in downtown Santa Barbara. “The Film Within a Play: Celebrating Santa Barbara’s Flying A Studios on […]
Westmont hosts an information session for its new accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program on Wednesday, February 15, from 5:30-7 pm at Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing, 26 West Anapamu Street. The open house will be an opportunity for prospective students to meet faculty, admissions and financial aid representatives and tour the downtown […]
In their first seven games of the young baseball season, the No. 13 Westmont Warriors have been hot at the plate, hitting .314 and scoring 74 runs against Saint Katherine and Embry-Riddle (AZ). The Warriors completed a four-game sweep of Embry-Riddle Feb. 4-5 at Russ Carr Field. Starting pitchers Eric Oseguera (.82 ERA), Chase Goddard […]
The Santa Barbra International Film Festival was a small local event when Sean Pratt began working for it two decades ago. Pratt, SBIFF managing director and Westmont adjunct professor, Roger Durling, SBIFF Executive Director, and their team have grown the festival from one featuring adventure-sport and nature films into one of the top 10 in […]