Westmont News

The Westmont Chamber Singers perform music composed in Spain and colonial Mexico during the 16th and 17th centuries Sunday, March 28, at 3 p.m., at the Santa Barbara Presidio Chapel, 123 E. Canon Perdido St. The concert is free, however a donation of $10 is suggested.

John Cottingham, professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Reading, will discuss “Happiness, God and the Meaning of Life” Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 3:30 p.m. in Hieronymus Lounge inside Kerrwood Hall. The Erasmus Society Lecture is free and open to the public.

More than a dozen Westmont students of varying backgrounds and majors perform the 1970’s rock musical “Godspell” Friday, Jan. 29 - Saturday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 31, at 3 p.m. in the gym at Montecito Covenant Church. The show is a fundraiser for the Westmont College Choir’s tour in May, which will take the group through California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

Glenn Olson, a national leader in wildlife conservation and habitat restoration, speaks about “Adventures in Stewardship and Conserving Creation” in a free, public lecture Thursday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m. in Hieronymus Lounge in Kerrwood Hall.

Margaret M. Poloma, who has written extensively about religious experience in contemporary American society, will speak about “Integrating Science and Spirit: A Sociological Journey” in a free Pascal Society Lecture Tuesday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. in Hieronymus Lounge.

Westmont students are honoring the late Martin Luther King Jr. with several events on and off campus. Westmont Student Ministries and Intercultural Programs are collecting new or used children’s books for the Neighborhood Clinics as part of the city’s “Honor the Dream, Be Great” Day of Service.

Reed Sheard has become vice president of college advancement and chief information officer at Westmont, assuming the management of the college’s fundraising, communication and external relations programs in addition to overseeing Information Technology.

Vicente Fox, former president of Mexico, will speak at the fifth annual Westmont President’s Breakfast Friday, Feb. 19, at 7 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom of Fess Parker’s Doubletree Resort. More than 700 people will attend the breakfast, which sold out in less than three days.

A dozen student musicians will perform songs from jazz legends Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Sergio Mendez, Tommy Flanagan and others in a free concert Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 8 p.m. in Deane Chapel. The Westmont Jazz Ensemble is under the direction of Westmont Instructor John Douglas.

Westmont, which is quickly becoming a leader in cloud-based technology, has been named to a prestigious information technology list. The annual InfoWorld 100 Awards chose Westmont as one of 100 IT organizations that have “implemented and integrated technologies in innovative ways in pursuit of concrete business goals,” according to their Web site.

Westmont kicks off the Christmas season with the eighth annual Christmas Tree Lighting on Kerrwood Lawn, Wednesday, Dec. 2. The lights on the 150-foot redwood tree, affectionately known as The Giant Pickle, will glow at 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Paul Willis, Westmont professor of English, will read from his new book of poems, “Rosing from the Dead,” at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18. The reading will take place in Hieronymus Lounge in Kerrwood Hall on the upper campus.

“Beauty Bomb,” a creative combination of dance and theater, explores the ancient Greek mythology about Pandora, the first woman, Nov. 19-21 at 8 p.m. in Westmont’s Porter Theatre. General admission is $10, $5 for students and seniors. For tickets or more information, please call (805) 565-7040.

Richard Pointer, Westmont acting provost and Fletcher Jones Foundation professor in the social sciences, discusses how Native American life affected settlers in early America at a free, public talk, “Going Native: How Indians Changed Europeans in Early America,” Thursday, Nov. 12, at 5:30 p.m. at University Club, 1332 Santa Barbara Street.

Mai Pham, world-renown Thai and Vietnamese chef and restaurateur, will sign cookbooks, offer special tastings and hold cooking demonstrations Thursday, Oct. 29, from 11:15 a.m.-1 p.m. in Westmont’s Dining Commons. The guest appearance is courtesy of Sodexo, which is contracted by Westmont’s dining services.

A five-person panel of experts will discuss “Christian Perspectives on the Ethical Treatment of Animals in Factory Farms and Scientific Laboratories” Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 3:30 p.m. in Westmont’s Hieronymus Lounge. The discussion is free and open to the public.

Students in Westmont’s Music Drama Workshop Class perform songs from nine difference operas Friday, Oct. 23, at 8 p.m. in Westmont’s Deane Chapel. “Opera Scenes” is free and open to the public.

Heup Young Kim, professor of systematic theology at Kangnam University in South Korea, discusses “A Trialogue of Humility: A New Way of Christian Mission in Asia” in a free public lecture Monday, Oct. 19, at 5 p.m. in Westmont’s Hieronymus Lounge.

Hundreds of Westmont alumni will celebrate homecoming and reunions at several events this weekend, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16-17.