Tag archives: Westmont

Dr. Daniel Gee, assistant professor of music at Westmont College, is the new Music Director of the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony.  Gee, who conducts the college choir and chamber singers, says: “I am thrilled at this opportunity to lead the youth symphony and continue the legacy of investing in our community’s young musicians… Making music […]

Westmont senior Sibongakonkhe (“Sibo”) Msibi joins an elite group of 20 Fellows this summer at the Vocal Institute at the Music Academy in Santa Barbara. The first Westmont student to achieve this honor, he aspires to become “one of the best opera singers out there.” Chosen from an international pool of talented applicants who seek […]

Work by four enormously influential Southern California artists and art professors, Ken Jewesson, Ciel Bergman, Irma Cavat, and Florence “FiFi” Russell, will appear in three exhibitions July 7 to August 6 in the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art with a free, public opening reception at the museum on Thursday, July 7, from 4 to 6 […]

Westmont alumnus Ramon Gupta (’94), a corporate attorney with an active practice in Santa Barbara, has joined the Westmont Board of Trustees. A partner with Mullen & Henzell LLP, Business & Real Estate Group, since 1999, Gupta has taught business law at his alma mater since 2014. He will begin a three-year term at his […]

Two Westmont graduates and Augustinian Scholars, John Corbett (’22) and Kyle Mayl (’21), have won Fulbright Scholarships to teach English outside the United States. Corbett will serve in the Czech Republic while Kyle Mayl will be in Spain.  The award is particularly meaningful for Corbett, whose grandfather was born in the Czech Republic. “I grew […]

Though the May gray wiped out last month’s public viewing, officials are counting their lucky stars and hoping for a break from June gloom for the event on Friday, June 17, at the Westmont Observatory. The free gathering, held in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit, begins after sunset and lasts several hours. In […]

Westmont’s eighth annual Lead Where You Stand conference featured a trove of inspirational speakers who challenged the crowd and offered practical experience and guidance for their own lives June 1-3 at the college’s Global Leadership Center.  Robert Putnam and Shaylyn Romney Garrett detailed how America has reached historic levels of political polarization, economic inequality, social […]

After 13 years as head coach of Westmont baseball, Robert Ruiz will serve as director of athletics. Dave Odell, who has served in that capacity in a part-time role since January 2009, will become the executive director of athletics. In his new position, Odell will focus on athletics strategic planning, fundraising, and coach development. He […]

Nearly 40 local high school students enrolled in an AP physics course visited Westmont on May 16 for a hands-on exploration into how the universe behaves. The event, Understanding Physics from Galaxies to Particles, was led by Ben Carlson, Westmont assistant professor of physics. “We are asking the fundamental questions: What is the universe made […]

Santa Barbara resident Nadya Brown won Best of Show at the opening reception of the annual Tri-County juried exhibition, Uncanny, at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum. Brown, who was born and raised in England, won the $1,000 prize for her vibrant, dream-like painting Kafka and the Snowglobe. Westmont alumnus and hyperrealist painter Robin Eley (’01) handpicked […]

For the first time, Westmont baseball is headed to the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. Though the Warriors have made seven trips to the NAIA National Tournament in the last eight years in which the tournament was held, they have never won the opening round tournament.  Westmont is the No. 6 seed in the […]

Following the breathtaking lunar eclipse earlier in the week, the Westmont Observatory opens to the public for its monthly event with the powerful Keck Telescope on Friday, May 20, beginning at sunset and lasting a few hours. Face coverings will be required at the event, which is co-hosted by the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit. The […]

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, […]

Commencement speaker Michael Shasberger, between stints of conducting the Westmont Orchestra, told the 2022 graduates they’d attain their greatest happiness when they discovered how to give away what they valued most. Coincidentally, President Gayle D. Beebe introduced Shasberger with news about the newly created Michael Shasberger Student Scholarship Fund for Music.  “It’s a fitting tribute […]

Michael Shasberger, who retires as the inaugural Adams professor of music and worship, delivers the address at Commencement Saturday, May 7, at 9 am on Westmont’s Thorrington Field. Westmont President Gayle D. Beebe presents Westmont Medals to Steven A. and Denice D. Fellows for their tireless service and dedicated leadership in improving the delivery of […]

James E. Taylor and Jennifer Moe Taylor, husband and wife, have teamed up to co-author a new book, Soul Pilgrimage: Knowing God in Everyday Life (Cascade Books). The volume takes readers on a sacred pilgrimage to deepen their relationship with God.  In fall 2018, the Taylors traveled to Northern Spain to walk the Camino de […]

Graduating political science major and Westmont College Student Association President Hannah Grierson argued her way to the top of the Westmont Debate Tournament and earned $500 on April 23 in the Global Leadership Center. She argued against the topic of the United States implementing a universal basic income. Sophomore Eden Lawson, who recently won the […]

Montecito is losing two of its musical stalwarts with the retirement of Westmont College professors Michael Shasberger and Grey Brothers. The dynamic duo were fêted at a dinner for 200 guests at Page Hall along with three other members of the faculty retiring, with 142 years of teaching at Westmont collectively between them. Michael, who […]

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 […]