Mission: Why do we exist?
The Westmont Student Life division has created the Campus Life Office, which cultivates the willingness and ability for our students to both lead and learn in all areas of life. The CLO is a hub of opportunity for our students. It exists to help students:
1. Negotiate change
2. Connect intellectual, spiritual and moral growth
3. Collaborate effectively
4. Foster leadership development to improve communities
The CLO includes the areas of the First Year Experience, Leadership Development, Educational Programming Oversight and Student Organizations.
The CLO is responsible to help our students navigate their beginnings at Westmont through the Orientation program. Orientation welcomes new students to campus and transitions them to their new environment. In this process, students learn about the expectations and distinctives of a Westmont liberal arts education. New student opportunities continue throughout the first year and include a retreat, residential study groups and discussion groups.
The CLO initiates creative programming in complement to the college mission through town hall meetings and bi-annual focus week programs. The Office also serves as a resource to other programming entities on campus by maintaining an integrated educational programming calendar, coordinating timing of events, advertising events and evaluating programs.
The CLO is also responsible to help provide a Biblical based leadership foundation for our students once their college experience is under way. Students are invited to participate in a Leadership Development Program in the spring term to develop and enhance leadership skills in order to provide exemplary leadership at Westmont and beyond. This two-unit elective course counts toward the college’s general education requirement and targeted toward framing the Westmont experience.
Finally, those involved with the CLO are also responsible to advise, mentor, empower and support many of our student leaders. The groups they represent include the Westmont College Student Association (WCSA), the Westmont Activities and Clubs Council (WACC), the Spring talent extravaganza (Spring Sing), Westmont Student Ministries (WSM), the Orientation Team leaders (O-Team), the Potter’s Clay spring break missions trip to Mexico (PC), Spring Break in the City mission trips to San Francisco (SBIC) and the international summer missions teams (Emmaus Road). All student leaders involved in these organizations participate in an introductory leadership training program and monthly leadership lunches on relevant leadership topics.