Westmont News

The Westmont Fall Choral Festival, combining the voices of more than 330 students from 10 area high schools, is Friday, Nov. 7, at 4:45 p.m. in First United Methodist Church, 305 E. Anapamu St., and 7 p.m. in First Presbyterian Church, 21 E. Constance Ave. Half of the choirs will perform at 4:45 p.m. and the remaining half will perform prior to the Westmont ensembles at 7 p.m.

The Westmont Fall Orchestra Concert will present a diverse musical sampling by such composers as John Williams, Scott Joplin and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. in the Page Multipurpose Room at Westmont and Sunday, Nov. 2, at 3 p.m. in First Presbyterian Church. General admission to each performance is $10; students are free. To purchase tickets or obtain more information, please call (805) 565-6040.

Westmont officially installs Edee Schulze as vice president for student life at a special convocation ceremony Friday, Oct. 24, at 10:30 a.m. in Murchison Gym. Speakers will include President Gayle D.

The Westmont Observatory opens for a partial solar eclipse on Thursday, Oct. 23, from 2:15-5 p.m. At its peak, the moon will cover more than 30 percent of the sun at 3:30 p.m. The viewing is free and open to the public.

Steven Lee ’13, who earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with honors, has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant to conduct biology research in Korea.

Taylor Jashinsky ’14 will serve as a communications liaison for the next two years in Southern Asia with World Concern, a Christian non-profit committed to developing sustainable communities in poverty stricken areas around the world.

Jessie van Eerden, a distinguished fiction writer and essayist, will read from her recently published novel “Glorybound” and other new works on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 7:30 p.m. in Hieronymus Lounge at Westmont’s Kerrwood Hall.

Edee Schulze, vice president for student life at Westmont, examines how small inequities can create a negative learning experience for female college students on Thursday, Oct. 16, from 3:30-5 p.m. in Winter Hall’s Darling Foundation Lecture Hall (Room 210) at Westmont.

The Westmont Observatory, which opens its doors to the public every third Friday of the month, will be available Friday, Oct. 17, beginning at 7:30 p.m. and lasting several hours. The viewing occurs in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit, whose members bring their own telescopes to Westmont for public use.

The salaries of Westmont graduates fared well in two 2014 rankings that used data collected from the website PayScale.

A triangle of constellations that holds some of the finest open clusters in the night sky will be the starring attraction of this month’s public viewing at the Westmont Observatory on Friday, Sept. 19, beginning after 7:30 p.m. and lasting several hours. The free event is held every third Friday of the month in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit.

What can we learn from the leadership of American presidents? Westmont will explore that question in the coming year through the Moral and Ethical Leadership in the American Presidency series, sponsored by the Mosher Center for Moral and Ethical Leadership.

For the sixth straight year, the U.S. News & World Report ranked Westmont in the top 100 best liberal arts colleges.

President Gayle D. Beebe announced Saturday that Jane Hideko Higa, former vice president for student life and dean of students, died Friday evening, Sept. 5, of ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. She was 63.

Several recent Westmont graduates return to Porter Theater to stage a new production of Anton Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard,” under the direction of John Blondell, Westmont professor of theater arts, Sept. 4-6, all at 7 p.m. Tickets to the Lit Moon Theatre production are $20 general admission, and $15 for students and seniors.

An international collaboration of sports scientists, including researchers from Westmont College, have developed new nutritional practices that could help NBA players prepare for the upcoming season.

A memorial service will be held for Kenon (Ramsey) Neal ’88 on Monday, July 28, at 2 p.m. at Santa Barbara Community Church, 1002 Cieneguitas Rd. Neal, who died July 16 after battling cancer for 27 years, made numerous contributions to Westmont over the years.

Becky Collier shattered several Westmont and personal records while becoming the first track-and-field athlete to represent Westmont at the USA Junior National Track & Field Championships in Sacramento June 25-26.

President Gayle D. Beebe has returned from his historic meeting with Pope Francis inspired and motivated. “I have a renewed sense of the necessity and importance of my work at Westmont and with the broader Christian community and the opportunity to carry it out with so many wonderful people,” he says.

Westmont summer sports camps, a more than 25 year tradition, begin Monday, June 16, with Sports Skills, developing motor skills of co-ed campers from ages 5-10. For the next six weeks, about 700 youngsters will develop in a sport in a safe and fun environment on the idyllic campus.

President Gayle Beebe shares the thoughts and prayers of the Westmont community regarding the June 5 shooting at Seattle Pacific University. “The shocking news of another shooting, this one at a fellow Christian Co

Westmont President Gayle D. Beebe expressed condolences today to the families of the victims of the May 23 attacks and to members of the UC Santa Barbara and Isla Vista communities.

Westmont has adopted an updated seal and a new unified identity system to better communicate its mission and character and increase recognition of the college. The new graphic elements will create greater consistency across all materials.