Westmont News

Westmont engineering’s fifth annual remote-control (RC) car showdown was packed with crashes, flips, stalls, missed turns—and, for the first time, a three‑car championship race. When then dust finally settled, the team of Ben Mandani and Isaac Silva, who launched their car, named NESI, more than five feet off a ramp to win a one-jump playoff, hoisted championship trophies Dec. 5 on Kerrwood Lawn.

Local artists Dane Goodman and Dug Uyesaka will speak about their works in the current exhibition on Monday, Dec. 15, from 4-5 p.m. in the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. The event, which includes refreshments, is free and open to the public.

The nation’s fastest-growing female sport comes to Westmont in fall 2026. Since its NCAA Division II debut as an emerging sport in 2023, stunt has blended the athleticism of cheer, dance and gymnastics into a high-impact competition celebrating teamwork, precision and power.

“We’re excited to create another thriving athletic program that attracts amazing student-athletes who want to succeed at Westmont,” says Athletic Director Robert Ruiz. “We can become a strong regional competitor and take it to the highest level of NCAA DII.”

Westmont’s junior engineering students are revved up to battle it out in a three-part competition that includes racing around cones and distance jumping off a ramp on Thursday, Dec. 5, at 1:15 p.m. in front of Kerrwood Hall. Students use the 500-piece remote-control (RC) car they’ve made as part of their Machine Design class.

Thanksgiving is more than a holiday marked by turkey, pumpkin pie, and family gatherings—it is a reminder that gratitude begins the moment we recognize we are not owed anything, yet we have been given everything. In my Moral and Spiritual Psychology class at CS Lewis, I invite students to practice gratitude not as a fleeting habit but as a way of being, encouraging them to keep a weekly gratitude journal that thanks God for five things each week.

Westmont celebrates Advent with “Let There be Light!” a festive gathering, treats and ceremonial lighting and an opportunity to take photos with Santa on Tuesday, Dec. 2, from 4:30-6 p.m. on Kerrwood Lawn. The family-friendly event is free and open to the public.

Amanda Sparkman, Westmont professor of biology and director of environmental studies, has released the third volume in the “California Wild Neighbors” series, “Neighbors with Fur: A Family Guide to California Backyard Mammals,” with illustrations by Westmont professors, staff, students, alums, children and others in the community.

The 21^st annual Westmont Christmas Festival offers an unforgettable celebration of Advent with the college’s orchestra and choirs creating a magical atmosphere at the Granada Theatre Santa Barbara. Tickets, which cost $30 each, are selling quickly for both performances on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 7, at 3 p.m. Purchase tickets at westmont.edu/christmas-festival or by phone at (805) 899-2222.

Alastair Su, Westmont assistant professor of history, speaks about “Tariff Nation: Examining the Rise, Fall, and Return of America’s Most Contentious Tax” on Monday, Dec. 8, at 5:30 p.m. at the Community Arts Workshop, 631 Garden St., in downtown Santa Barbara. The Westmont Downtown Lecture is free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations required.

About 70 art lovers braved the wet weather for the opening of “Between Planes: Exploring Sculpture Through Print” on Nov. 13 at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. The unique show examines prints made by sculptors, offering a glimpse into artistic thought process of an artist prior to creating a sculpture.

The spirit of “lucecitas” — glimmers of light — shone brightly on the Westmont campus as nearly 200 enthusiastic students and their families gathered for the powerful fourth annual event, Affording Your College Dream on Nov. 1.

In its third year, the Montecito Student Film Festival will showcase a diverse selection drawn from nearly 900 submissions submitted by local, national and international student filmmakers on Saturday, Nov. 15, at Porter Theatre and surrounding venues on campus. Audiences will enjoy creative stories, meaningful documentaries and exciting visual storytelling techniques, and roundtable discussions featuring leading professionals in the film industry. The festival is free and runs from 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

The Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art explores artistic vision across two-dimensional and three-dimensional media in “Between Planes: Exploring Sculpture Through Print” from Nov. 13-Dec. 20. There will be a free, public opening reception on Thursday, Nov. 13, from 4-6 p.m. at the museum.

Since six blocks of State Street closed in spring 2020, e‑bike usage has risen steadily, and the resulting increase in accidents has alarmed residents and local politicians. The Westmont Center for Dialogue and Deliberation decided to tackle this thorny issue at a community roundtable event with more than 50 people Oct. 23 at the Community Environmental Center's Environmental Hub downtown.

Westmont celebrated 50 years of women’s athletics during Homecoming weekend, drawing what may have been the largest gathering of athletic alumnae and current student-athletes in college history. The weekend’s sport-specific events culminated in a dinner honoring women’s athletics trailblazers and legacy builders, attended by about 200 guests and 125 current female student-athletes Oct. 18 at Montecito Covenant Church.

Westmont dedicated a new stained glass window during an intimate service inside the Nancy Voskuyl Prayer Chapel on Oct. 16.

Westmont’s powerful Keck Telescope zooms in on the rings of Saturn on Friday, Oct. 17, beginning about 7 p.m. and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory. Westmont hosts a stargazing event the third Friday of each month in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit, whose members bring telescopes to share.

The Westmont Center for Dialogue and Deliberation takes on the hot button issue of e-bikes at its next conversation on Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Community Environmental Council’s (CEC) Environmental Hub, 1219 State Street.

More than 30 student researchers present 20 different projects at the annual Celebration of Summer Research on Oct. 16, 3-4:30 p.m. in the Winter Hall Third Floor Atrium. The Office of the Provost sponsors the event, which is free and open to the public. Many of the students worked as paid, full-time research assistants, collaborating with professors on cutting-edge projects that sometimes extend into the school year.

See Sophocles’ ancient and disturbing tragedy “Antigone” with fresh language and new life in a poetic and thrilling production, “Antigonick,” from Oct. 24-Nov. 1 at Westmont’s Porter Theatre.

Ben Carlson, assistant professor of physics at Westmont, explores the scientific foundations of today’s most pressing energy and climate issues in a Westmont Downtown Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 9, at 5:30 p.m. at the Community Arts Workshop, 631 Garden St., in downtown Santa Barbara. The talk, “Energy and Climate Through the Lens of Basic Science,” is free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations required.

Westmont alums return to campus Oct. 17-19 for Homecoming and a weekend of events, including the annual Alumni Awards Celebration Brunch and Westmont Golf Classic. Find the full schedule of events at westmont.edu/homecoming.

Westmont College continues to be recognized as the top Christian liberal arts college in the West, according to top national rankings. U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges lists Westmont as one of the top 10 Christian liberal arts colleges in California. Overall, Westmont continues to be one of the top two nationally ranked members of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.

A Westmont art professor has the toast-worthy talent the California Avocado Festival judges wanted. They unveiled Scott Anderson’s playful illustration — an avocado sunbathing on the beach — at the Carpinteria Farmers Market. Available now, limited-edition posters and T-shirts featuring his design will also be sold at the 39th annual celebration, Peace, Love & Guacamole, Oct. 3-5.

The ringed gas giant Saturn comes into focus at Westmont’s stargazing event on Friday, Sept. 19, beginning at sunset and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory. The solar system’s Hula-Hoop champion will start low in the evening sky, but will be visible later in the evening after 8 p.m.

Alumna Kailie Grinder ’16, who earned a doctorate in intercultural studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, has returned to campus as Westmont’s intercultural programs (ICP) interim director.

Westmont’s engineering program has earned full ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accreditation following an extensive three-year process that involved reviewing facilities, faculty, students and funding. Only two other Christian colleges in California have received this accreditation, retroactive to October 2022. The significant designation boosts engineering alums.

Westmont welcomes eight new tenure-track professors this fall: James Davidson (sociology), David Emanuel (religious studies), Kyle Hansen ’19 (mathematics), Sally Hawkins (education), Raymond Kim (economics), Smaranda Lawrie (psychology), Nicole Marsh ’17 (biology) and Claudia Molina (Spanish).

New York Times columnist David Brooks, citing rising mental health issues, social distrust and loneliness, examined the moral decline in America and suggested that Christian colleges can contribute to the “re-moralization” of American life. He delivered the keynote talk, “How Christian Colleges Can Fix What Ails America,” at the 11^th annual LEAD Where Your Stand conference June 5 in Westmont’s Global Leadership Center.

Westmont’s talented art faculty, who inspire students to envision exciting, real-world possibilities for their own creative paths, offer an impressive range of works from their innovative careers in “Lines of Inquiry: Westmont Art Faculty Exhibition Fall 2025” from Sept. 4-Nov. 1 in the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art.

About 400 first-year, transfer and nursing students arrive at Westmont for Orientation and Warrior Welcome on Aug. 27-31. Off campus, 38 students begin the Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing program, joining two other cohorts of students enrolled in the accelerated 16-month Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

A notable new arrival now graces Westmont’s campus: “Maternity,” a nearly 2,000-pound bronze sculpture by renowned South American artist Fernando Botero. The Santa Barbara Museum of Art has loaned the work to Westmont from the collection of the late Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree.

Westmont’s expanding role in local college-prep programs has led to a noticeable increase in local student enrollment over the last three to five years. This momentum was clearly on display at two recent events hosted by the Santa Barbara Unified School District’s Program for Effective Access to College (PEAC) and the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara where more than 50 Westmont students - including both current students and incoming freshmen.

Westmont scientists join thousands of researchers worldwide honored with the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, awarded to the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, a particle physics laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland, as well as several related experiments.

This month’s stargazing event will feature several star clusters, including M18, the Black Swan Cluster in Sagittarius, on Friday, Aug. 15, beginning about 8:30 p.m. and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory, home of the powerful Keck Telescope. The college hosts a free, public viewing of the stars on the third Friday of every month at sunset and lasting several hours.

Westmont is finishing renovations at the Keith Center, 29 West Anapamu, which will eventually house several programs, including the expansion of Westmont Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing and other post-secondary allied health programs, as well as other post-secondary programs that meet the growing needs of the dynamic community.

Higher education must enhance student experiences and foster meaningful relationships if it’s to meet the challenge of rapidly advancing AI. That was the message at Westmont’s Impact Conference, which brought higher education technology leaders to campus July 24-25. They stressed that technology should serve, not supplant, the social networks and values at the heart of learning and opportunity.

The Martin Institute and the Dallas Willard Research Center (MIDWRC) at Westmont College have chosen Tyler J.

Westmont celebrated service anniversaries and recognized its Employees of the Year at the annual Staff and Faculty Appreciation Brunch in May at Murchison Gym. This years Employees of the Year were Charles Ryu, Christen Foell '01 and Aaron Sizer '01.

Westmont opens its observatory and powerful Keck Telescope for this month’s free public stargazing event Friday, July 18, beginning at 8:30 p.m. and lasting several hours.

The fifth annual Impact Conference, Cultivating Community in the Age of AI, brings together senior technology leaders in higher education to explore ways to apply AI to strengthen — rather than replace — human connections July 24-25 in Westmont’s Global Leadership Center. Purchase tickets, which cost $129 per person for two full days with breakfast and lunch included, at westmont.edu/impact.

Workers have begun constructing a new $7 million building on Westmont’s campus north of the Global Leadership Center to house the Martin Institute for Christianity and Culture. Crews expect to complete the 3,700-square-foot complex and 1,500-square-foot deck in about 15 months, replacing the existing structure at 909 La Paz Road. Private donors are funding construction of the new center.

Lee Park ‘22 marched into a career soon after graduating from Westmont and being commissioned as a second lieutenant. Participating in Army ROTC as a student first at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) and then at Westmont led to his position as an assistant operations officer in an Army Combat Sustainment Support Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington. He’s also pursuing a master’s degree in supply-chain management and logistics through Georgetown University. Previously, he led in a Forward Support Company assisting U.S.

Beginning this fall, Westmont offers a new environmental studies major to engage pressing climate-related issues, explore environmental stewardship through the lens of Christian theology and ethics, and examine the links between social and environmental justice.

Female nurses who believe God intervenes to cure ill people are less likely to experience depressive symptoms, according to findings published in Mental Health, Religion & Culture.

Westmont has welcomed a herd of sheep to campus to eat non-native vegetation and reduce wildfire fuel in the barranca west of Voskuyl Library, adjacent to the dry Westmont Creek. Coordinated by Montecito Fire, the flock from Cuyama Lamb will consume the grasses before they dry out later this summer and have the potential to feed a wildfire.

Stu Cleek, who has more than 35 years of experience in Christian higher education, has been named vice president for student life at Westmont.

“This is a significant and exciting moment for our campus community, and I’m deeply grateful for Stu’s legacy of faithful service during the past 26 years at Westmont,” said President Gayle D. Beebe.

Westmont alumnus Paul Mori ’77 directs the Prime Time Band’s free Fourth of July Concert, presented by the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation, on Friday, July 4, at 5 p.m. at the Santa Barbara Courthouse Sunken Gardens. Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket or low-back chair.