Commencement 2005

Westmont Receives $500,000 Grant

Provost Reflects on 'No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

'Painted Faith Wins Design Award

Artists Interpret 'The Power of WORD'

Congratulations to Westmont Family Grads!

New Life

New Faces, New Positions

You Are Invited

Notes from Human Resources

Congratulations!

Did You Know?

Job Board

Staff
Nancy Phinney,
Marcia Meier,
Lesley Painter,

Commencement 2005
Commencement 2005 Ardis Higgins will receive the Westmont Medal during the college’s graduation ceremonies 10 a.m. May 7 on Russell Carr Field.

A total of 326 students expect to graduate from Westmont. Robert Wennberg, who is retiring after 35 years as a philosophy professor at the college, will give the commencement address.

Wennberg’s areas of expertise include philosophical ethics, abortion, euthanasia, and animal rights. His books include: "God, Humans and Animals: An Invitation to Enlarge Our Moral Universe," Eerdmans 2003; "Terminal Choices: Euthanasia, Suicide and the Right to Die," Eerdmans, 1989; and "Life in the Balance: Exploring the Abortion Controversy," Eerdmans, 1985. Students have named him teacher of the year at Westmont five times, and he received the faculty research award in 1986. He earned his doctorate in philosophy from UC Santa Barbara in 1973.

The Westmont Medal is given each year to recognize individuals in our community whose lies embody the very principles associated with the Christian character of the college: integrity, service, compassion, responsibility, faithfulness, discipline and generosity.

Higgins has been deeply involved in the community while committing her life to music and to education.

An accomplished organist, she chaired the music department at Santa Barbara City College and taught music education at Westmont until deteriorating eyesight forced her to retire early. Determined to pursue her passion, she became an international music education consultant, traveling throughout the world with the International Society for Music Education and the Comparative Education Society. The author or more than 60 magazine, newspaper and journal articles and music reviews, she also published "Windows on Women" in 1975 to highlight the accomplishments of women. Ardis wrote the manuals and study questions for "Music in Motion," an innovative educational series that illustrated classical music with creative film footage.

A longtime member of the Santa Barbara Symphony board and a past president of nine community organizations, Higgins received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Santa Barbara News-Press in 1998. Her tireless service to the symphony and the community has enriched the arts in Santa Barbara.

A graduate of Northwestern University (where she also earned a master’s degree in music), Higgins did additional graduate work at the University of Southern California.

Past recipients of the Westmont Medal are Lord Paul and Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree, Larry Crandell, Penny Jenkins, Dr. Ramon Vidauri of Ensenada, Mexico, Anita Mackey, Stewart and Katherine Abercrombie, Betty Rosness, Peter MacDougall and David Spainhour.

Westmont Receives $500,000 Grant
The Fletcher Jones Foundation has given $500,000 to endow the Institute for the Liberal Arts at Westmont, the lead grant toward a $2 million goal.

Founded in 2000, the institute promotes the continued vitality of the liberal arts tradition in American higher education. Toward this end, it hosts annual Conversations on the Liberal Arts that bring together educators from colleges and universities nationwide.

"We are deeply grateful to the Fletcher Jones Foundation for supporting our commitment to the liberal arts," President Stan D. Gaede said. "The institute fills a gap in American higher education by providing a forum for discussing the most fundamental questions faing the liberal arts tradition. Westmont seeks to create a hospitable place where participants can address these foundational issues with substance and meaning."

"Through the work of the institute, Westmont has an opportunity to serve the larger world of higher education while sharpening our own educational vision," Provost Shirley Mullen said.

"Given that it is fairly rare for foundations to provide funds for endowment, this gift from Fletcher Jones represents a vote of confidence in both Westmont and the institute."

The institute’s annual Conversations on the Liberal Arts have featured topics such as Educating for Justice," "Vocation, Vocationalism and the Liberal Arts" and "The Sciences as Liberal Arts." Speakers have included leading scholars: liberal arts education champion Robert Erburu; historian of education Bruce Kimball; Cambridge literary scholar Dame Gillian Beer; Carnegie Foundation senior scholar William Sullivan; and Yale philosopher Nicolas Wolterstorff. Participants have represented premier colleges and universities, including Yale, Georgetown, Emory, Stanford, UC Santa Barbara, Pomona, Claremont McKenna and Occidental.

The institute will launch a collaborative pilot project with the University of LaVerne later this year, funded by a $50,000 matching grant from the Foundation for Independent Higher Education and the UPS National Venture Fund. The Liberal Arts Ambassadors will involve underrepresented students from liberal arts institutions working through existing college preparation programs to explain the benefits of a liberal arts education to underrepresented junior high and high school students.

In 2002, the Fletcher Jones Foundation gave Westmont a $500,000 lead grant for state-of-the-art science equipment for the future David K. Winter Hall for the Sciences. The first Fletcher Jones grant to Westmont in 1981 supported a student loan fund. Subsequent gifts have provided science equipment and technology-related upgrades. The foundation was established in 1969 by Fletcher Jones, the co-founder of Computer Services Corp.

Provost Reflects on ‘No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency’
The next Westmont Downtown Conversation, "Simplicity, Wonder and Wisdom: Reflections on Alexander McCall Smith’s "No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency," by Provost Shirley Mullen begins at 5:30 p.m. May 3 at the University Club, 1332 Santa Barbara St.

The event is free and open to the public, No reservations are necessary.

"Judging both by official book lists and a host of casual conversations, the saga of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective agency has captured the imagination of much of the reading public," Mullen says. "What is the power of this series about daily life in Botswana that keeps men and women from all strata of society, and from all over the world, waiting anxiously or the next volume? Whether or not you have read the books, come reflect with others on what the books have awakened in us."

The Westmont Foundation sponsors the Downtown Conversations.

'Painted Faith' Wins Design Award
Reynolds Gallery took second place in the 25th annual American Association of Museums (AAM) Publications Design Competition. Art Instructor Scott Anderson designed the exhibition poster "Painted Faith." He also created "The Art of Education" exhibition catalog for the faculty show, which received an honorable mention.

"For the second year in a row the American Association of Museums has chosen to honor the design world of Scott Anderson. This international competition recognizes Scott for his professional ability to communicated the visual concepts of exhibit and artistry through both poster and catalogue," said Gallery Director Tony Askew. "We at the art department and the Reynolds Gallery are proud of the honor and the award-winning design work that Scott provides ."

Though it is rare to place twice in consecutive years in a national juried competition such as this, last year "Every Picture Tells a Story" by Anderson was selected as the first-place winner of fund-raising and membership materials.

The competition, which acknowledges excellence in the graphic design of museum publications, is the only national, juried event involving publications produced by museums of all kinds and sizes. This year’s contest drew more than 900 entries. Twenty-four received a first prize, 20 received a second prize and 86 received an honorable mention in various categories.

Competing Institutions were divided according to budget: museums with annual operating budgets of $500,00 or more and those with budgets of less than $500,000. Within each budget division, entries competed in 16 categories, including books, educational resources, newsletters, fund-raising materials, scholarly journals, and CD-ROMs.

The competiions results will be featured in the July/August 2005 issue of AAM’s national magazine, Museum News, and on the Web at www.aam-us.org.

Artists Interpret 'The Power of WORD'
"The Power of WORD," a theme show judged by Art Historian Richard West, will be on exhibit May 19 through June 30 in Reynolds Gallery. An independent curator, West is the former director of both the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the Frye Museum in Seattle. An artists’ reception, open to the public, is 4-6 p.m. May 19 in the college Art Center.

English Professor Marilyn McEntyre will give a lecture, "Loving Words," in conjunction with the exhibition at 4 p.m., May 19 in the Art Center room 101.

Artists may use any media to interpret of a combination of letters, phrases, or expressions. A remark, comment or even the representation of letters or sounds can serve as inspiration.

All artists residing in the Tri-County area are eligible to enter. Submissions will be received at Reynolds Gallery 9 a.m. - 12 p.m., Saturday, May 14. There is a $20 entry fee and a maximum of three entries per artist.

Congratulations to Westmont Family Grads!
Janna Call, daughter of Chris (vice president for administration) and Lisa Call, graduates from Dos Pueblos High School. She will attend Wheaton College in the fall.

Robin Wilson, daughter of Laura (academic secretary) and Stuart Wilson, earns a B.F.A. in modern dance from California Institute of the Arts.

Benjamin Banner, son of Nancy Christel (executive director of endowment growth), graduates from Westmont with bachelor’s degrees in art and music. In July, he will begin UC Santa Barbara’s intensive one-year master’s degree and teaching credential program with an emphasis in art.

Rachel Mori, daughter of Janna (donor services director) and Andy Mori, graduates from UC Davis in environmental policy analysis and planning.

David Noell, son of Edd (economics professor) and Nancy Noell, graduates from Santa Barbara High School and will attend Wheaton College.

Courtney Kuntz, daughter of Bob (registrar) and Amy Kuntz, graduates with honors from Azusa Pacific University (she spent her freshman year at Westmont) with a degree in art with an emphasis in graphic design.

Shelby Jones, daughter of Randy (director of campus planning) and Bridget Jones, graduates from Carpinteria High School and will attend Westmont.

Abbe Larson, daughter of Paul (controller) and Terry Larson will graduate on the Principal’s List from Cabrillo High School. This summer she will travel to Boston with her high school Madrigal’s group and then go to Poland on a short term missions trip. She will attend Westmont this fall.

Erica Sommermann, daughter of Michael (engineering and physics professor) and Emily (music instructor) Sommermann, earns a master of science degree from UC Santa Barbara’s department of molecular, cellular and developmental biology this June.

Laura Spencer, daughter of Greg and Janet Spencer, graduates from Santa Barbara High School in the Visual Arts and Design Academy in illustration and painting. She plans to attend Seattle Pacific Univeristy in the fall.

Bruce Fisk (associate professor of New Testament) and his wife, Janice (advancement systems coordinator), have two Santa Barbara High School graduates: Benjamin will attend Westmont in the fall and Alison (who graduated a year early) will live in a Spanish-speaking country for a year.

Garth Murray, son of John (director of library and information services) and Ginny (senior administrative assistant to the provost) Murray, graduates with an art degree from Seattle Pacific University.

Gregory Alexander, son of Dana Alexander (office of life planning director), graduates from Westmont with a degree in political science.

Heather Kennedy, daughter of Bruce and Barb (biology department secretary) Kennedy, graduates from Laguna Blanca School. She will attend the University of Pennsylvania and will be a javelin thrower on their track and field team.

Jeffrey Given, son of Dean (adjunct psychology professor and Mary (executive director of alumni and parent relations) Given, graduates from Westmont with a degree in history.

Ben Taylor, son of Jim (philosophy professor) and Jennifer (director of internships) Taylor, graduates from Santa Barbara High School.

Amy Milner, daughter of Brian and Christine (kinesiology professor) Milner graduates in May from Wheaton College with a major in Spanish and a minor in math.

Andrea Wilson, daughter of Tim (associate dean of students) and Jane Wilson, receives a degree in biology from the University of Richmond.

Hanna Willis, daughter of Sharon (health center nurse) and Paul (English professor) Willis, graduates in June from Santa Barbara High School.

Katie Newton, daughter of Dave (entrepreneurial finance professor) and Kim Newton, graduates from Santa Barbara High School and will attend Vassar, where she will play on women’s volleyball team and major in philosophy and international studies.

New Life
To Laura and Music Instructor Ron McCauley ‘90, a son, Josiah Ronald, was born April 27 at 7:31 a.m. He weighed 9 lb. 14 oz. And was 20.5 inches. The family is doing well and regaining strength after a couple of days of heroic labor. We rejoice!

New Faces, New Positions
Celia Howen has been promoted to assistant director in the Office of Life planning. Yolanda Vera will work additional hours to assist the conversion process as records office assistant. Debbie Lokensgard returns to help out as well as temporary records assistant. Sharon Hughes also returns to campus to work as temporary special events assistant.

You Are Invited
Stan and Judy Gaede invite you to the 2005 Faculty and Staff Appreciation Luncheon 11:45 a.m. - 2 p.m., Tuesday May 10, in Murchison Gymnasium.

Join with the Westmont community in showing appreciation for each other and praising God for His presence and blessing during the past academic year.

Please RSVP to ext. 7001 by May 4.

Notes from Human Resources
Faculty and staff eligible for full-time benefits will receive updated medical, dental, life and LTD certificates and summary plan descriptions via e-mail this month. Please keep the new certificates with your other benefits information for reference.

You will also receive information about accessing the Blue Cross Website at www.bluecrossca.com. The Web site now features enhanced "Member Services" and "Find a Doctor or Hospital (Provider Finder)" information. You can access the site and all of the features by completing a brief registration form.

Congratulations!
Stan Gaede presented the inaugural Karin Holmes Awards to Education Department Secretary Linda Meister, Manager of Grounds and Transportation Phil Baker and Photographer and Technical Director of Events Brad Elliot. The award was established in memory of former Westmont Media Center Director Karin Holms, who died two years ago. It recognizes supervisors who exemplify extraordinary care for and mentorship of student employees. The award is given based on nominations from student employees.

Did You Know?
This column will help you get to know your colleagues better. Submit interesting facts to Lesley Painter in the public affairs office: lpainter@westmont.edu.