Commencement Weekend Ceremonies
Baccalaureate
Where: Westmont College Campus, Murchison Gymnasium
When: Friday, May 3, 2013 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Baccalaureate is a special time of worship when the Westmont community gives thanks to God and celebrates the accomplishments of the graduates. All guests will need a ticket for Baccalaureate. Each graduate will receive four (4) tickets to distribute to family and friends. Graduates do not need a ticket.
The gymnasium opens at 5 p.m. and we advise coming early to get a good parking spot and get situated in your seats. Know that there will be lots of cars sharing what will be a one-way road that afternoon.
Commencement
Where: Westmont College Campus, Russell Carr Field
When: Saturday, May 4, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
No ticket is required for Commencement, however, parking on campus is limited. Each graduate will receive one Commencement Parking Pass to be used that day. All cars entering the campus must display a Commencement Parking Pass. Most guests will park at Santa Barbara City College and ride the free shuttle busses to and from the Westmont campus.
We suggest that you bring water, sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, layers of clothing and wear comfortable shoes for walking. There will be some snacks, water and flowers to purchase on site. A First Aid tent for emergencies and portable restrooms will also be available.
In order to best enjoy the morning, plan ahead and be EARLY. The field opens at 8 a.m. Know that there will be buses, shuttles, and cars all sharing what will be a one-way road on campus that day.
Commencement Speaker
Ronald C. White Jr., author of the New York Times bestseller “A. Lincoln: A Biography,” will speak at Commencement May 4. White’s topic, “Abraham Lincoln’s Sermon on the Mount,” reflects his work as a Lincoln scholar and author of numerous books about the 16th president. USA Today said, “If you read one book about Lincoln, make it ‘A. Lincoln.’” The Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, History Book Club and Barnes & Noble honored this Lincoln biography as a Best Book of 2009. It also won the coveted Christopher Award in 2010, which salutes books “that affirm the highest values of the human spirit.” White’s other works include “Lincoln’s Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural,” a New York Times Notable Book, and “The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words,” a Los Angeles Times bestseller. He has lectured at the White House and been interviewed on the PBS News Hour. White graduated from UCLA and Princeton Seminary and earned a doctorate in religion and history at Princeton University. He is a fellow at the Huntington Library and a visiting professor of history at UCLA. He is writing a biography of Ulysses S. Grant, which Random House will publish.