Westmont News

Westmont presents “Godspell,” one of the most popular musicals of all time, on Oct. 12-15 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. in Westmont’s Porter Theatre. Music and theater students join together to stage a production for the first time since 2019. Tickets, which cost $20 for general admission and $12 for students and seniors, are available online at westmont.edu/boxoffice.

The parents of a Westmont alumna and a current student joined the Westmont Board of Trustees in May. Mary Barbour, whose daughter, Anna, graduated from Westmont in 2022, and Marcus ‘Goodie’ Goodloe, whose daughter Hannah is currently a senior and will graduate in spring 2024, look forward to supporting the college’s mission on the board, which oversees the operations of the college.

Westmont jumped 16 spots in U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 Best Colleges national liberal arts rankings — the college’s largest rise since 2010. For the 19th straight year, Westmont, ranked at No. 107 (tied), is the number one Christian liberal arts college in the Western U.S. and remains one of the top 10 liberal arts colleges in California.

In a public ceremony replete with orchestral and choral music, Siegwart ‘Zig’ Reichwald will be installed as the Adams professor of music and worship Friday, Sept. 29, at 10:30 a.m. in Murchison Gym. The formal ceremony serves as a prelude to a day of public events that include a keynote address and chamber concert.

For the first time in more than a decade, undergraduate students assisted with research at the Simons Array, a set of three telescopes in the Atacama Desert in Chile at an elevation of about 17,000 feet.

Westmont music faculty take the stage for the Fall Faculty Recital on Friday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. in Deane Chapel. The performance is free and open to the public.

The recital features Music Director Ruth Lin (piano), Adelle Rodkey (oboe), Christina Ramsey (mezzo-soprano), Erin Bonski-Evans (piano), Egle Januleviciute (piano) and Cam Audras (viola).

Andrew Whitehead, one of the foremost scholars of Christian nationalism in the United States, speaks about his new book, “American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church,” on Thursday, Sept. 14, from 3:30-5 p.m. in the Global Leadership Center at Westmont.

Westmont welcomes four excellent new tenure-track professors to campus this fall. Sam Cole (economics and business), Linghui Han (economics and business), Paul Mena (communication studies) and Anna Jordan ’07 (English) each bring a deep Christian faith and a desire to challenge students to think deeply while learning broadly.

About 400 first year and transfer students arrive on campus for the newly named Warrior Welcome Aug. 24-27 and the first day of classes for the fall semester on Monday, Aug. 28. On Wednesday, Aug.

Westmont's annual Impact Conference brings together leading thinkers in education and technology to discuss the development of better data systems for colleges and universities. Co-hosted by Salesforce and Westmont’s Center for Applied Technology (CATLab), the free event takes place on campus Thursday, Aug. 10, from 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. To register or get more information, please visit westmont.edu/impact.

Westmont engineering students returned to Quito, Ecuador, in May to share their love of science, technology, engineering and math with children in an after-school program. The seven engineering students, Jonny Reitinger, Jonah Swanson, Jacob Bailey, Maria Judy, Elijah Cicileo, Becca Hudson and Tasha Loh, designed and built STEM educational materials to share with the children. They were joined by Dan Jensen, director of Westmont engineering, and a Compassion International representative.

All eight graduates of Westmont’s inaugural Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) cohort have successfully passed the National Council for Licensure Exam-RN (NCLEX-RN) and begun careers as nurses. Half of these nurses serve in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. They completed the program in May 2023.

Celebrated Santa Barbara artist Linda Ekstrom offers a wide range of poetic, imaginative and spiritual works of transformed fabric, paper, books and gloves in an exhibition Aug. 31-Nov. 11 at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. A free opening reception Thursday, Aug. 31 from 4-6 p.m. at the museum, honors “Straddling Circumference…The Art of Linda Ekstrom,” which features both recent work and a retrospective. The museum plans additional events.

As of today, July 13, Westmont launches into a new era of athletic competition to play in the NCAA Division II PacWest Conference this fall. The NCAA formally notified the college that it is approved to move on to the second year of provisional status, which allows them to compete in the PacWest Conference beginning this coming year. 

This summer, Westmont violinist Sophia Chan ’25 performs at the Aspen Music Festival and School (June 29-August 20), one of the top classical music festivals in the United States that features more than 600 classical music students from around the world.

Westmont biologist Amanda Sparkman ’03 and her research collaborators have won a $2 million, four-year grant from the National Science Foundation to continue investigating the evolution of dwarfism in Channel Islands National Park reptiles.

A record three Westmont graduates have earned prestigious Fulbright Scholarships this year to teach and conduct research around the world. Ebun Kalejaiye ’23 will teach English in Spain, Cody LeFebre ’22 will teach English in Colombia and Valerie Swisher ’22 will study personal experiences and perceptions of mental health care in Hungary.

Rae Dunn, a popular Bay Area artist and juror of this year’s annual Tri-County Juried Exhibition, handed out cash awards to local artists on May 18 at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. “Mixed Up,” celebrates the multitude of talented artists in our local region.

The Westmont Academy for Young Artists (WAYA), a unique two-week summer music program for talented music students ages 12-18, has grown to include esteemed teaching artists from the Santa Barbara Symphony along with Westmont music faculty Aug. 7-11, 14-19 on Westmont’s all-Steinway campus.

A stellar lineup of internationally renowned speakers, authors, CEOs, visionaries and luminaries descend on Westmont’s ninth annual LEAD Where You Stand Conference May 31-June 2 at the college's Global Leadership Center. The Santa Barbara event has quickly gained momentum in attracting powerhouse speakers and participants who share inspiring and empowering leadership principles and best practices for any sphere or line of work and service.

The Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art highlights the exceptional talent of local artists in its annual Tri-County Juried Exhibition, “Mixed Up,” May 18-June 17. The public is invited to a free, opening reception on Thursday, May 18, from 4-6 p.m. Award winners will be announced at 5:15 p.m.

Under scattered skies two days after a rare May rainstorm, the 332 graduates of the Westmont College Class of 2023 marched to Thorrington Field on May 6 led by bagpipe fanfare. The celebration, which featured the inaugural graduating classes in both engineering and nursing, included speeches full of colorful imagery from the class verse, “Let your roots grow down into Him” (Colossians 2:7).

Following Commencement 2023, the Westmont College Choir and Chamber Singers embark on a nine-day tour to Tokyo, Japan — the first international choir tour since the COVID-19 pandemic. Led by Daniel Gee ’13, assistant professor of music and director of choral activities, the choirs’ itinerary includes joint concerts with Japanese collegiate ensembles, including those from Waseda University and the Tokyo College of Music, as well as performances at Tokyo Union Church, Tokyo Christian University and the Christian Academy of Japan.

Each year before Commencement, Westmont’s annual Academic Awards Celebration reminds us of the joy of accomplishment and the opportunity we have to excel and fulfil the full range of gifts and abilities God has given us.

Westmont kicked off its new Young Adult Leadership Lab (YALL), which supports the spiritual lives of young adults in their 20s, with 100 local clergy members and lay leaders at a day-long seminar held on campus. Steve Argue, applied research strategist for the Fuller Youth Institute and associate professor of youth, family and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary, headlined the event earlier this year in the Global Leadership Center.

Westmont College, which develops Christian ministers and leaders capable of serving in every sphere of society, hosts a one-day Pastors Conference dedicated to encouraging, refreshing and supporting pastors. The event features President Gayle D.

Click Here to Watch the Commencement Livestream

Two Westmont students won David K. Winter Servant Leadership Awards for showing vision, courage, humility, integrity and competence as leaders. Angela D’Amour, dean of student engagement, introduced the 23rd annual awardees, junior Joy Sturges from Redding and sophomore David Shiang from West Hills, on April 14 in Westmont chapel.

Janell Balmaceda uses a pitchfork to spread mulch over the walkways that weave between the garden rows below Thorrington Field. Student intern Peter Schramm ’25 hammers together pieces from several wooden pallets to create new compost bins. This spring, the Westmont garden is flourishing again, thanks in large part to Balmaceda, Westmont’s new sustainability coordinator and garden manager. A team of student volunteers began planting vegetables in March, which the Dining Commons served at the end of the semester. After some repairs, the chicken coop houses egg-laying hens.

More than 40 Westmont students will present their findings on 29 posters at the 2023 Spring Student Research Symposium on April 20 from 3:30-5 p.m. around the Winter Hall third floor atrium. There will also be four students reading selections of their original works of fiction and poetry as part of their English capstone project.

Steve L. Porter, the new senior research fellow and executive director of Westmont’s Martin Institute for Christianity and Culture, offers his inaugural lecture Friday, April 28, at 3:30 p.m. in the Global Leadership Center. The talk, “Knowing Christ Today: The Shape of Christian Spiritual Formation in the Academy and Church for the Sake of the World," is free and open to the public.

Two Westmont alums have received prestigious Graduate Research Fellowships from the National Science Foundation. Braden Chaffin ’23 and Chisondi Warioba ’21 have been chosen for the program whose purpose “is to ensure the quality, vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States.” The five-year fellowship provides three years of financial support that includes an annual stipend of $37,000.

Six senior art majors will present their capstone art projects ranging from paintings to prints, photography to a sculptural installation April 6-May 6 at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art.  A free, public opening reception for “a space of her own” is Thursday, April 6, from 4-6 p.m. at the museum.

Westmont will give the inaugural Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree Spirit of Santa Barbara Award to David and Anna Grotenhuis at the annual Women’s Leadership Luncheon on Friday, April 21, at 11:30 a.m. in the Global Leadership Center. The award recognizes people who exemplify the life and spirit of Lady Ridley-Tree. Her generosity made a profound impact on Westmont College and touched the lives of many people and organizations throughout the Santa Barbara community. 

Westmont officially installed its new provost as the community celebrated the life, faith and career of Kimberly Battle-Walters Denu. Her accomplished career spans nearly three decades of teaching, preaching, mentoring, and executive leadership.

Westmont launches a new program to cultivate wisdom in Christian leaders and offers a post-baccalaureate Certificate in Theological Leadership. The initiative begins January 2024 with an inaugural cohort of 25 students. It’s designed for ministry professionals, laypeople eager to grow spiritually, and recent college graduates considering seminary. For more information, please visit westmont.edu/theo-leadership.

The curtain may have closed on the inaugural Montecito Student Film Festival, but there is still a buzz about the spectacular young filmmaking talent in our community. For about five hours, cinephiles filled Westmont’s Porter Theatre to screen 20 student films on March 25.

Rebecca McNamara, Westmont assistant professor of English, speaks about care and compassion for those struggling with suicide or affected by the trauma of suicide in late medieval England in a Westmont Downtown Lecture on Thursday, April 13, at 5:30 p.m. at the Community Arts Workshop (CAW), 631 Garden Street, in downtown Santa Barbara.

The Westmont Music Department awarded large scholarships to instrumentalists and singers as part of its annual guild competitions, attracting stellar young musical talent to the region.  Aaron Wu, a cellist from Glendale, won the 11th annual Instrumental Guild Competition Feb. 25 and will receive more than $10,000 in annual music scholarships (more than $40,000 for four years). Each finalist will receive $10,000 in annual music scholarships.

Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer-Prize winning historian and bestselling author, drew parallels between the United States’ response to aid Britain in the early years of World War II and the U.S.’s partnership with Ukraine in its war with Russia at the 18th annual Westmont President’s Breakfast March 10.

Malcolm Foley, pastor and religious historian at Baylor University, where he directs Black Church Studies at Truett Seminary, examines how Black Christians resisted and advocated against racialized lynching in a free, public lecture, "On Love and Lynching: Racial Violence and Its Black Christian Opponents," Thursday, March 23, from 3:30- 5 p.m. in the Page Multi-Purpose Room.

Westmont launches the inaugural Montecito Student Film Festival to showcase the impressive work of undergraduate students from California colleges and universities with screenings throughout the day March 25 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Porter Theatre. A jury of industry professionals and special guests will judge and award the top prizes while audiences will be polled regularly to determine the winner of the Audience Award.

The 21st annual Conversation on the Liberal Arts explores how a liberal arts education can prepare us for the future, March 2-4 at the Global Leadership Center. “Educating for the Unknown: Liberal Arts in the Age of Climate Change,” sponsored by the Gaede Institute, attracts teachers, administrators, and students from around the country.

G. James Daichendt, art critic, curator, art historian and dean of the colleges at Point Loma University, examines how street art is changing the art world and how we engage art in a free, public lecture, “Street Art Now” on Thursday, February 23, from 4:30-5:30 p.m. at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art.

Kimberly Battle-Walters Denu will be officially installed as provost and dean of the faculty at Westmont on Friday, March 31, from 10:30-11:20 a.m. in Murchison Gym. The event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP here. 

La Cañada High School ran circles around the competition in Westmont’s 34th annual Mathematics Field Day on Feb. 11 in Winter Hall. About 100 regional high school students matched math wits in the event on the eve of Super Bowl, but it was La Cañada that was the Overall Winner for 9-10^th grade and 11-12^th grade.

This month’s Stargazing at the Westmont Observatory features a diverse celestial menu of planets, Messier objects, open clusters and double stars on Friday, February 17, beginning about 6 p.m. and lasting for several hours. The observatory, home of the powerful Keck Telescope, is open to the public every third Friday of the month and held in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit (SBAU) whose members bring their own telescopes to share with the public.