General Education
2011 - 2012 General Education Committee
Tatiana Nazarenko – Dean of Curriculum and Educational Effectiveness
Dr. Nazarenko joined Westmont College as Dean of Curriculum and Educational Effectiveness in 2010. She chairs the General Education and Program Review Committees and works with all academic and co-curriculum departments on issues pertaining to curriculum development, outcome-based learning, student-centered teaching, and assessment. She also serves on the Academic Senate, AS Review Committee, AS Resource Committee, and the College's Strategic Planning Committee.
Thomas Jayawardene, Professor of Sociology (Social Sciences), on leave until spring 2013
Elected to a term ending in Spring 2013. Dr. Jayawardene works in cross cultural communication, comparative sociology, International development, Third World societies and sociology of World Religions. In World Religions he focuses on the social-psychology spiritual life traditions with insightful presentations. In international development Dr.Jayawardene has many contributions to outreach organization for relief and reconstruction. Research and Publications include the Pacific-Rim, South Asia and South East Asia. In cross cultural communication the emphasis is on Social conflict and conflict resolution. With living in many countries and fluency in many languages he is a leader and director of international study programs in Asia, Europe and Africa.
John Blondell, Professor of Theatre Arts (Humanities)
Elected to a term ending in Spring 2014. John Blondell is Professor of Theatre Arts at Westmont College since 1988. His productions of classical and contemporary plays have received local, regional, and international acclaim, and cemented his reputation as one of Santa Barbara’s most progressive, adventurous directors. Blondell's Westmont credits include Peter Pan, Mother Courage and Her Children, Much Ado About Nothing, Frankenstein, The Clouds, Anonymous, Play Beckett, 33 Swoons: Three Farces by Anton Chekhov, and many others.
Blondell’s productions have received numerous awards, including Independent Theatre Awards for Aice in Wonderland, The Critic, Much Ado About Nothing, King Henry V, King Richard II, Queen C, Our Town, and for producing the 1999 Lit Moon World Theater Festival; and Best Production of the Year citations for Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, The Critic, and The Wonderful Adventures of Nils. In 2003, John received the Westmont College Faculty Research Award for his work as a director, and in 2009 was named a “Local Hero” by the “Santa Barbara Independent” for his concerted work in international theatre. John holds a Ph. D. in Dramatic Art from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Wayne Iba, Professor of Computer Science (Natural and Behavior Sciences)
Elected to a term ending in Spring 2014. Dr. Iba's research leverages his background in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to understand the nature of service and helpfulness, particularly as it pertains to intelligent assistants. He also works in the area of philosophy of information technology with an eye toward what it is and how humanity changes as new technologies arise. Prior to joining Westmont in 2003, Dr. Iba worked as a Research Scientist in the Artificial Intelligence group at NASA Ames Research Center and on the Automated Fingerprint Identification System
operated by the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services. Wayne received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Information and Computer Science from UC Irvine, and a Bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Cruz.
Gregg Afman, Professor of Kinesiology (Social Sciences)
Debra Quast, Library Director
Debra Quast joined Westmont College as Director of Library and Information services in July 2009 and oversees all aspects of library resources, programming and services in support of the academic programs, faculty teaching, and student learning. She serves on the Program Review, General Education, Academic Resources, and Computer Technology Advisory Committees and participates on the College’s Strategic Planning group. Debra’s areas of interest include student engagement in higher education, information literacy across the curriculum, and library assessment.
Michelle Hardley, Registrar (recording secretary)
Michelle Hardley originally joined the Westmont staff in 2000 after receiving a B.S. degree in Psychology from Westmont College. After completing an M.S. degree in Counseling and Guidance in 2004 she assumed leadership of the Academic Advising and Disability Services office. In 2012 she joined the Student Records Office as the Registrar. She manages all aspects of the Student Records Office including the collection, storage, safeguarding, retrieval and distribution of the academic records. She is a member (and Secretary) for the Academic Senate, the Academic Senate Review Committee and the General Education Committee. She is also a member of the Enrollment Management Committee, and Admissions and Retention Committee. Her research interests include understanding the college transition process and the psychology behind coping with a disability.