What's New at Westmont

Beebe Joins NAICU Board of Directors

The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) has elected Westmont President Gayle D. Beebe to a three-year term on its board of directors. Beebe, who will be formally appointed Feb. 1 in Washington, D.C., will represent a region that includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. [more]

Poet Laureate to Host Stafford Reading

Paul Willis, Westmont professor of English and Santa Barbara poet laureate, hosts a sixth annual community reading in the Los Padres National Forest, “Remembering William Stafford,” Saturday, Jan. 28, at 2 p.m. at the First Crossing Day Use Area on Paradise Road off Highway 154 in Santa Barbara County. [more]

Robert Gates to Speak at President’s Breakfast

Robert Gates, who served as a trusted advisor to eight U.S. presidents of both parties, will be the keynote speaker at the seventh annual Westmont President’s Breakfast Friday, March 2, from 7-9 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom of Fess Parker’s Doubletree Resort. [more]

New Ensemble to Perform World Premier

The Westmont College Collegium Musicum, a new faculty-student musical ensemble, presents historic church cantatas and the world premiere of a new work by Steve Butler, Westmont professor of music, Sunday, Feb. 5, at 3 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Santa Barbara; Saturday, Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Arroyo Grande; and Sunday, March 4 at 6 p.m. at St. Bede’s Episcopal Church in Los Angeles. The performances are open to the public and free with a free-will offering taken during the program. [more]

Talk Probes the Battle of Science, Religion

Physicist Karl Giberson, a leading scholar in America’s creation-evolution debate, explores the question, “Are Science and Religion at War?” Friday, Feb. 10, at 3:30 p.m. in Westmont’s Adams Center, room 216. The Pascal Lecture, which is sponsored by the office of the Westmont provost, is free and open to the public. [more]

Art Museum Shines with ‘Continua in Light’

Two Bay Area artists explore illumination and movement in a new video installation, “Continua in Light,” at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art Jan. 12 through Feb. 18. Cheryl Calleri and Thekla Hammond will be at the free, public reception Thursday, Jan. 12, 4-6 p.m., which includes an original, dance performance. The site-specific dance is choreographed by associate professor Erlyne Whiteman and performed by her students. [more]

Musical ‘Animal Farm’ to Rock Porter Theatre

Westmont theater arts professor Mitchell Thomas tackles one of the 20th century’s most enduring works, directing George Orwell’s satirical masterpiece “Animal Farm (The Musical).” The rocking show, a collaboration between the Westmont theater arts and music departments, will be performed Feb. 23-25, March 1-3 at 8 p.m. and March 3 at 2 p.m., all in Porter Theatre. Tickets are $7 for students and seniors, $15 for adults, and can be purchased by calling (805) 565-7140. [more]

‘Parenthood’ Actor Offers Life Lessons

Sam Jaeger, who stars as Joel Graham in NBC’s “Parenthood,” stopped by Westmont Jan. 13 to talk about his college education and life as an actor. He graduated from Otterbein University, a small, private, liberal arts college in Westerville, Ohio. [more]

Mexican Art Brings Families to Campus

Two Mexican-themed exhibitions and a free family festival come to the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art this spring. “Rafael Perea de la Cabada: Alien Heartland” and “Mexican Prints: Selections from the Gil Garcia and Marti Correa de Garcia Collection” go on display Feb. 23 through March 31. The exhibitions open with a free public reception Thursday, Feb. 23, from 4-6 p.m. [more]

Willis Earns Award for Ride of Her Life

Sharon Willis, a nurse at Westmont’s Health and Counseling Center, recently earned the Clif Bar Courage Award for her inspirational finish in the second annual Santa Barbara Century bicycle ride in October. Willis, 57, fell off her mountain bike three months before the start of the ride and was unable to train for several weeks. [more]

Dance Instructors Offer New ‘Directions’

Westmont’s dancers offered an eclectic yet balanced performance before large crowds Dec. 9-10. “Directions,” featuring choreography by both faculty and students, celebrated a new era of dance at Westmont under the direction of first-year Westmont instructors Susan Alexander and Christina Sanchez. Sanchez performed a solo choreographed by Alexander. The fall dance recital included nine pieces, showcasing a variety of choreography, style and music. [more]

Competition Awards Top Entrepreneurs

A multi-person discount service for small businesses and an online, used sporting goods exchange were the big winners at the 22nd annual Westmont Collegiate Entrepreneurship Business Plan Competition Dec. 8. About 60 people packed into Kerrwood Hall to hear students make formal presentations about their business plans as part of Entrepreneurship and New Venture Development, a class taught by David Newton, Westmont professor of entrepreneurial finance. [more]

Four Alumnae Join Board of Trustees

The Westmont Board of Trustees, which oversees the operations of the college, has welcomed four new members. Denise Jackson ’78, a director of human resources in Pasadena, Calif., Sharon Rose ’89, an attorney in Washington, D.C., Lynne Tahmisian ’67, vice president of La Arcada Investment Corporation in Santa Barbara, Calif., and Celeste White ’76, president of Vintage Ranch Properties in Napa, Calif., are all alumnae of Westmont. [more]

Sargent to Serve as New Westmont Provost

Mark L. Sargent, who has worked in higher education for 30 years, will become Westmont’s provost and dean of faculty in spring 2012. For the past 15 years, Sargent has served as provost of Gordon College in Wenham, Mass., supervising its educational and co-curricular programs. [more]

Alumna to Co-Lead Westmont in Istanbul

Alumna Heather Keaney ’93 is back in Santa Barbara as assistant professor of history at Westmont, but in January she and husband, Jim Wright, venture back to the Middle East to co-lead Westmont in Istanbul. Keaney has spent the past 11 years living and teaching in Cairo at the American University in Cairo and at the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities’ (CCCU’s) Middle East Studies Program (MESP). [more]