Westmont News

The Westmont Board of Trustees, which oversees the operations of the college, has welcomed four new members. Denise Jackson ’78, a director of human resources in Pasadena, Calif., Sharon Rose ’89, an attorney in Washington, D.C., Lynne Tahmisian ’67, vice president of La Arcada Investment Corporation in Santa Barbara, Calif., and Celeste White ’76, president of Vintage Ranch Properties in Napa, Calif., are all alumnae of Westmont.

About 11 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, a 20-foot travel trailer just above Page Hall became engulfed in fire. Due to the presence of strong winds and the potential for a fast-moving fire to spread to campus, college officials decided about 11:10 p.m. to follow established emergency protocols and to evacuate all students to Murchison Gymnasium.

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance has ranked Westmont in the top 100 liberal arts colleges in its Best Values in Private Colleges list. The report, which named Westmont #88, ranked the schools based on outstanding academics and great economic value.

Erin Thomason, a doctoral student in anthropology at UCLA, speaks about women working in the sex industry in China during a free, public lecture Thursday, Nov. 10, at 3:30 p.m. in Founders Room in the lower level of Westmont’s Kerr Student Center.

Westmont student composers, vocalists and instrumentalists showcase their talents in several concerts this November. All performances are free and open to the public.

Students in Westmont’s Music Drama Workshop Class perform 18 different songs from eight operas in Opera Scene’s “Nameless Show” Sunday, Oct. 30, at 3 p.m. in Westmont’s Deane Chapel. The performance is free and open to the public.

While the number of borrowers defaulting on federal student loans has jumped sharply, Westmont is bucking the trend. The national two-year cohort default rate rose to 8.8 percent last year, from 7 percent in fiscal 2008, according to the Department of Education, which released the figures Sept. 12.