Tag archives: nursing

Nursing Grads Inspire at Summer Pinning
By Scott Craig   |   September 8, 2026

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 […]

Westmont Makes History with Graduate Nursing Programs
By Scott Craig   |   September 1, 2026

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 […]

Nursing Pinning Honors 22 Graduates
By Scott Craig   |   May 26, 2026

Twenty-two members of the seventh cohort of the Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing program were pinned at a special ceremony to honor their accomplishments on May 7 at Montecito Covenant Church. The group included the college’s first nursing fast track graduate, who earned two bachelor’s degrees in just four and a half years. “I am […]

Compassion in Action: 25 New Nurses Graduate
By Scott Craig   |   January 5, 2026

Westmont celebrated the accomplishments of 25 new graduates of the Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing program at a pinning ceremony Dec. 18 before a standing-room-only crowd at Montecito Covenant Church. This is the sixth cohort to graduate from the 16-month accelerated bachelor of science in nursing program, housed at 26 W. Anapamu. Dianthe Hoffman, ABSN […]

Study Explores Nursing, Belief in Miracles
By Scott Craig   |   August 19, 2025

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 […]

Answering Demand for More Nurses
By Scott Craig   |   March 18, 2025

In response to increasing demand and need for nurses, Westmont Downtown Grotenhuis Nursing is growing the program. This May 24, more students will begin their studies in the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing. On February 26, The California Board of Registered Nursing approved Westmont’s plan to increase enrollment in its accelerated 16-month program, allowing students […]

Nursing Grads Implored to Offer Work to God
By Scott Craig   |   January 14, 2025

The fourth cohort of Westmont Downtown Grotenhuis Nursing graduates were celebrated at a pinning ceremony in front of friends and family December 12 at Montecito Covenant Church.  In his opening remarks, President Gayle D. Beebe addressed the energy and love the graduates developed with each other and their rapport with their faculty. “We’re grateful for […]

Nursing Graduates Earn Pins
By Scott Craig   |   January 2, 2024

Westmont celebrated the accomplishments of 18 new graduates of the Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing program at a pinning ceremony December 14 at Montecito Covenant Church. This is the second cohort to graduate from the 16-month accelerated bachelor of science in nursing program, housed at 26 West Anapamu. President Gayle D. Beebe, program director Dianthe […]

Nursing Program Earns Final Accreditation
By Scott Craig   |   December 5, 2023

The Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) voted to approve accreditation for Westmont’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program. Westmont had to clearly demonstrate that its nursing program, which launched in January 2022, met all four of the CCNE standards: mission and governance, institutional commitment and resources, curriculum and teaching-learning practices, and assessment […]

Nursing Hits 100% Success Rate
By Scott Craig   |   August 1, 2023

All eight graduates of Westmont’s inaugural Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) cohort have successfully passed the National Council for Licensure Exam-RN (NCLEX-RN) and begun careers as nurses. Half of these nurses serve in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. They completed the program in May 2023. The 2023 national average for Bachelor of Science […]

Beloved Professor Speaks at Commencement
By Scott Craig   |   May 9, 2023

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 […]

College Hosts Nursing Open House
By Scott Craig   |   February 14, 2023

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 […]

Nothing ‘Uncanny’ About Talented Local Artists
By Scott Craig   |   May 24, 2022

The abundance of accomplished artists from the Tri-County area is on full display at the annual juried exhibition in the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. Westmont alumnus and hyperrealist painter Robin Eley ‘01 juried the show, Uncanny, which is available May 19 to June 18. A free, public opening reception for the exhibition is Thursday, […]

Nursing Students Learn the ABCs of Compassionate Care
By Scott Craig   |   May 3, 2022

The inaugural cohort of students has nearly completed their first semester of Westmont’s 16-month Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program. The intimate class of eight students has been learning on state-of-the-art equipment through a curriculum immersed in the Christian liberal arts. They’re scheduled to graduate in May 2023.  The ABSN allows someone with […]

Velas to Direct New Nursing Program
By Scott Craig   |   September 7, 2021

Carol Velas, who has served as a registered nurse for 35 years, will direct Westmont’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program, which begins in January 2022 pending approval by the California Board of Registered Nursing. The former senior manager for state licensing and accreditation at Chamberlain University in Chicago, Velas helped design Westmont’s […]

Westmont Creates Region’s Only Accelerated Nursing Program
By Scott Craig   |   June 10, 2021

Amid a global pandemic and dire nursing shortage, Westmont’s proposed Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) arrives just in time to meet a great need not only in the Santa Barbara community, but also in California. The program, run in partnership with Cottage Health, received unanimous approval for its feasibility study from the California […]

Dear Montecito: Hope Saxon
By Stella Haffner   |   February 11, 2021

It’s natural for students who move away from home to feel nostalgic about the place they left. I am reminded of this every week, reading letters about people’s experiences growing up in Montecito. Some speak to my own memories more than others. The letters about surfing and hiking… well, let’s just say I look like […]

Vicky Diaz Pagenkopf, Family Nurse Practitioner
By Calla Corner   |   January 30, 2020

Family Nurse Practitioner Vicky (Virginia) Diaz Pagenkopf apologizes for getting emotional when she talks about the woman who convinced her to pursue a nursing career. “I was finishing my requirements to go to UCSB to become a high school teacher and was looking for a temporary job. My younger sister, who worked as a nurse’s […]