September 2021 September 2021
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Dear Westmont Parents and Guardians,
Westmont’s academic year is underway and in person. Your sons and daughters are here--praise God! They are living in community and engaging their wonderful professors in challenging subjects. These basic elements are so essential to the fullness of a Westmont education.
Our time worshipping together, three times a week, is also essential to the distinct Westmont experience, and that is something we greatly missed last year. The first chapel of the academic year was a powerful time together. For a taste of worship at Westmont this fall, you are invited to view chapel where President Beebe shares The Road Ahead: Study. Pray. Love. View
I thank God for the privilege of coming to Westmont every day to see your sons and daughters bustling between classes, studying, connecting with one another, and knowing all the while that so many are also highly engaged serving their campus, the community and the world as part of their Christian liberal arts education.
Join me in praying for the students, faculty and staff this semester! And may God continue to grow and mature your student through all the circumstances they experience in the coming weeks.
Warmly in Christ, 
Sarah Camp
Assistant Vice President for College Advancement,
Interim Senior Director of Alumni and Parent Relations
A Note from the Parents Council
By Mary Barbour, Parents Council President
Greetings from the Westmont College Parents Council. We are Mary and Al Barbour, from Pennsylvania, and our daughter Anna is a member Westmont’s class of 2022. We have been members of the Parents Council for three years, part of a group of 20 dedicated parents and guardians of Westmont students.
The Parents Council supports the college by praying for our students all year, and providing hospitality during events on campus. We also connect with families who have questions about the student experience at Westmont, working closely with the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations. To contact with us, send us an email at parents@westmont.edu.
We're grateful for the wisdom and insights of our outgoing Parents Council presidents, Max and Wendi Bublitz, as well as outgoing members Andrew and Ashley Kilpatrick, and Kate and Loyal Makaroff. Thank you Max and Wendi, Andrew and Ashley, Kate and Loyal for your service to Westmont parents!
Members of the Parents Council are grateful to be part of the Westmont community and welcome new families as they join us this semester. We hope that learning in the classroom, connecting to the community, and walking in faith with the Lord will help your students grow and develop in all areas of their lives during these years.
New Warriors Family Weekend
We welcome the parents and families of first and second year students to campus November 5-6. Events include sitting in on a class, worship in chapel, and more. You'll find ample opportunities to spend time with your student and meet their new friends. The weekend is free for parents and families. Watch for more details in your inbox soon.
Best Selling Author Geoffrey Moore to Speak on Campus
The Mosher Center for Moral and Ethical Leadership will host Geoffrey Moore, bestselling author, consultant and disruptive technology specialist Friday, November 5, in Westmont’s Global Leadership Center. His influential best seller, "Crossing the Chasm," focuses on the challenges start-up companies face moving from early adoption to mainstream customs. Most recently, Moore has addressed the transition in enterprise IT investment from systems of record to systems of engagement. This event usually sells out quickly. Watch for more information soon.
Meet the Class of 2025
By Scott Craig, Manager of Media Relations
About 410 new students, who include 58 new transfers, began their journey at Westmont Thursday, Aug. 26, moving into residence halls and enjoying several days of welcoming activities during Orientation.
“This class has persisted through the pandemic and arrives with high energy and optimism to live and learn in person in real community,” says Irene Neller, vice president of enrollment, marketing and communications. “The stories that we have heard as they journeyed to Westmont are miraculous and an incredible testimony to their diligence to start their college experience."
Twenty-three students have spent two or more years living abroad, and 15 are international students, one of the largest cohorts in college history. Two sisters will arrive from Cuba to study music at Westmont after gaining approval to leave the island in the midst of a tumultuous political climate. The new students represent 18 countries and 33 U.S. states. Eight percent of them come from Santa Barbara County.
“We even have one student who has logged more than 5,000 volunteer hours, earning the U.S. President’s Volunteer Service Award Medal of Honor,” says Angela D’Amour, dean of student engagement. “These incoming students reflect our commitment to shape effective and compassionate global citizens who lead lives of significance.”
Students must present proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test administered in the past few days before they arrive. Unvaccinated students will undergo regular and random testing throughout the year. Faculty, staff and students will continue to report their daily symptoms electronically.
“We’ve been urging everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible,” says Jason Tavarez, director of institutional resilience. “Early survey responses indicated more than 80 percent of all faculty and staff are already fully vaccinated.”
In compliance with county regulations, all faculty, staff and students must wear masks when attending indoor classes, events or working in shared offices.
“Westmont expects full enrollment on campus this fall, with students living in the residence halls, attending class indoors, eating in the Dining Commons, and returning to Murchison Gym for chapel services three times a week,” says Irene Neller, vice president for enrollment, marketing and communications. “We’ll accommodate remote instruction if required to do so should COVID-19 cases increase countywide. Otherwise, we plan to put Zoom on the back shelf as much as possible. After remaining open successfully last year, we know we can shift to remote education if necessary.”
Several large tents throughout campus will house outdoor dining and allow professors to move large classes outside.
The college resumes one important element of Orientation after forgoing it last year. The Service of Commitment, a formal ceremony with robed professors who welcome students to the Westmont community, takes place Friday, Aug. 27, from 3-4:30 p.m. on Russell Carr Field. Bagpipe fanfare, a longstanding Westmont tradition, will then lead new students on their First Walk through the Formal Gardens to Kerrwood Lawn, anticipating their Last Walk that occurs at Commencement from Kerrwood to Carr Field.
Read More News Coverage of Orientation:
Worth the Work
By Edee Schultze, Vice President for Student Life
Recently I gave a talk in chapel about three core elements of a Westmont education: learning, community, and faith. To prepare for the message, I went through the Community Life Statement and highlighted phrases that fit for each of these elements. I encourage you to read the full Community Life Statement for yourself, but below I have summarized what I found related to each element... Learning at Westmont depends on:
● Wise development of the mind
● Academic honesty and respect for education
● Truth-centered attitudes
● Discriminating openness to ideas
● Modesty toward one’s own views
● Affirmation of the true, courage to examine the unfamiliar
● Inquiry as well as pronouncement
● Challenging teaching as well as reflective learning
Community at Westmont thrives when:
● Justice and mercy are both active and present
● Each person demonstrates good will and graciousness
● Civility is basic to all types of interactions
● Other-centered practices are commonplace
● Members exercise integrity, confession and forgiveness and live in reconciled relationships
● Individuals accept responsibility for their actions
● We show respect for others as they make decisions contrary to our own, demonstrate a readiness to listen carefully to those who represent situations or cultures unfamiliar to us, and are concerned for how our preferences affect the lives of others
Christ-Centered Faith at Westmont is shown in our:
● Acknowledgement that all humans are created in the image of God
● Behaviors that demonstrate love for God and neighbor, as Jesus commanded
● Valuing of human presence, celebrating human creativity and promoting relationships based on the ideals of trust
● Encouragement of true fellowship
In my chapel address I articulated why each of these is challenging, then asked the students “Is it worth the work?” The answer (of course) is, yes, I believe it’s worth the work, but it’s WORK! Let me flesh out a few thoughts.
Learning is work because it stretches our minds, challenges our perspectives, requires discipline, and takes a measure of courage to dive into new and unfamiliar subjects. Community is hard because we have to step out of our comfort zones, sometimes we hurt each other or get hurt by others, have to apologize, accept responsibility and build better habits of engagement with others, especially those we don’t know who come from different backgrounds from our own. Faith can be difficult because life is difficult, we are prone to disobedience or discouragement or we simply don’t know how to live more faithfully. Add to all this that we live in challenging times, including impacts of political polarization, moral relativism, exhaustion, depression, COVID and related loss of routines and rites of passage. No wonder it feels difficult and like work!
And yet, it is with people just like us, right where we are these days, that Jesus begins his Sermon on the Mount. Blessed are those who mourn, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, blessed are those who seek peace, blessed are the poor in spirit, the merciful, the persecuted. We are the ones who make up the Kingdom of Heaven, the children of God, the Body of Christ. It’s in a community made up of people just like us that God’s reign can take hold and thrive. We have ambitious goals of engaging in rigorous academics and developing a deep love of God and doing so in challenging times. The Kingdom of God is poised to break through!
We have a wonderful opportunity to live the Kingdom well at Westmont this year in our learning, our community, and our expression of the Christian faith. We will make mistakes undoubtedly, but we will do our best to steward this moment with faithfulness. Please pray for us and with us that it may be so. It is worth the work!
Marriage Bootcamp
Shortly after the start of the pandemic, Andrea Gurney, a Westmont professor and psychologist, received many requests from couples with marital issues, ranging from quarantine date night ideas to crumbling relationships. With the pandemic being a first for everyone, including psychologists, she developed Marriage Bootcamp, an online workshop. See Andrea’s website to get more information and to enroll in this discounted workshop.
Encouraging Your Students From Afar
Here are three ways you can encourage your student while supporting our ministries and outreach organizations:
- Birthday Cakes
- Finals Week Support Kits
- Valentine's Day "valegrams"
Please feel free to contact jfuentes@westmont.edu with any questions you may have.
Read More About Other Encouragement Opportunities
Transitioning to College
By Lesa Stern, Professor of Communications Studies
Whether your student is returning to Westmont or coming for the first time, the beginning of a new year is a good time to think about how you're interacting with your student to promote their growth as individuals. We've all heard of helicopter parenting and behaviors, but we rarely think WE are doing them-- we're just trying to help our kids! Here are ways of helping and hovering differ.
As you know, we are excited to start the school year in person rather than remotely. For all students, a new year ushers in new and exciting opportunities for growth. You can help your students by encouraging them, being excited for them, reminding them that it takes time to settle in and make new friends. Encourage students to tap into the many support systems at Westmont to help them.
The Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum features Westmont Faculty
About 410 new students, who include 58 new transfers, began their journey at Westmont Thursday, Aug. 26, moving into residence halls and enjoying several days of welcoming activities during Orientation.
“This class has persisted through the pandemic and arrives with high energy and optimism to live and learn in person in real community,” says Irene Neller, vice president of enrollment, marketing and communications. “The stories that we have heard as they journeyed to Westmont are miraculous and an incredible testimony to their diligence to start their college experience."
Twenty-three students have spent two or more years living abroad, and 15 are international students, one of the largest cohorts in college history.
Trust Steadily in God
By Mariah Velasquez, Associate Director, Martin Institute
"Relying on God has to begin all over again everyday
as if nothing had yet been done.”
C.S. Lewis
As we look to the school year ahead, we're aware of the uncertainty of life. Throughout the pandemic, we've encountered twists and turns and moments of grief, despair, hope and gratitude. This uncertainty reminds us of the “already and not yet” nature of God’s Kingdom. We can live life with God now. And we long for wholeness, complete union to come. In "The Message", Eugene Peterson helpfully paraphrases 1 Corinthians 13:12-13 this way:
We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright!
We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us! But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
Pause for a moment to reflect on these words. In what areas of your life do you need to trust steadily in God right now? Open your hands upward, offering your worries and concerns to our Good Shepherd. When you're ready, turn your palms over, releasing these uncertainties into God’s hands. Then turn your palms up again, trusting God to give you what you need for today.
Notice today when you have your hands clenched and gently open them, praying, “God, I trust you.”
For more resources, visit conversatio.org.
We Give Thanks
You may have heard we recently received two wonderfully generous gifts, totaling more than $15 million, the two largest cash gifts in college history. You can read more about these transformative gifts Here.
Each and every gift from all our alumni, families and friends makes a difference in students’ lives, enabling the college to offer excellent programs as well as financial resources to put Westmont within reach of all those who need assistance.
Join me in celebrating these two wonderful gifts, one that secured a new building where students will learn and grow, and one to significantly help with financial aid. Ask God to continue to multiply our resources so Westmont can provide a transformative education for all our students.
Learn Your Student's Class Verse
Class of 2022: "Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." Psalm 25:5
Class of 2023: “Let your roots grow down into Him . . .Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught.” Colossians 2:7
Class of 2024: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.” Zechariah 4:6
Class of 2025: “With God are wisdom and strength; he has counsel and understanding.” Job 12:13