Westmont News

Click to Watch the Commencement Photo Slideshow

Despite gray skies and a light drizzle, thousands of family members and friends celebrated and cheered the 291 Westmont graduates who received their diplomas at Commencement May 4.

The 23rd annual Westmont College Student Research Symposium celebrates the noteworthy accomplishments of a record 57 Westmont students who worked on 44 research projects on Wednesday, April 17, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. in the Winter Hall Atrium.

Why are student anxiety and performance pressure so prevalent at colleges and high schools? “It’s as if we’re asking students to be achievement machines,” a high school teacher said to Chris Hoeckley, director of the Westmont Gaede Institute for the liberal arts.

Westmont has opened registration to its annual youth summer sports camps, one of the longest running and most successful camps in the Santa Barbara region. Various sports camps for ages 5-13 begin June 10 and run weekly through July 26.

Alumnus Stan Anderson ’62 has donated the funds for putting and chipping greens with artificial turf and a small meeting/storage facility for the new men’s and women’s golf teams.

With attention focused on the Super Bowl this Sunday, area high school mathematics students look forward to the real competition the following weekend. A record 12 California high schools will compete in the 31^st annual High School Mathematics Contest at Westmont on Saturday, Feb.

The works of Westmont art faculty are being showcased at one of Santa Barbara’s premiere art galleries Dec. 6- Jan. 20. An opening reception for “Mentors and Makers: The Artists of Westmont College” is Thursday from 5-8 p.m. at Sullivan Goss, at 11 East Anapamu Street.

The show features full-time studio faculty Meagan Stirling, Nathan Huff and Scott Anderson, and part-time faculty Sommer Roman, James Daly and Chris Rupp.

The Westmont Observatory shrouded by oak trees

The Westmont Observatory, home of the powerful Keck Telescope, opens its dome toward the skies for a free, public viewing on Friday, Dec. 21, beginning about 6:30 p.m. and lasting several hours. The observatory is available to the public every third Friday of the month in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit, whose members bring their own telescopes to Westmont for the public to gaze through.

Voskuyl Library in 1968 (photo courtesy Westmont Archives)

Westmont celebrated Voskuyl Library’s 50th birthday Dec. 3 with historic photos, trivia contest and speeches by President Gayle D. Beebe, Provost Mark Sargent and library staff.

Westmont will offer a Bachelor of Science in engineering with a concentration in mechanical engineering beginning in fall 2019, blending a mix of courses in engineering,

Westmont’s 17th annual Pickle Tree Lighting, a unique tradition that attracts hundreds of alumni and members of the college community, is Tuesday, Nov. 27, at 5 p.m. on Kerrwood Lawn. The event is free and open to the public.