Endowments Endowed Chairs
Endowing faculty chairs helps us attract and retain world-class professors.
The most renowned institutions have the best minds, the most-creative researchers and the most-engaged teachers. Building a strong base of faculty talent enriches the academic environment, which attracts the brightest students. When you support endowments of this type, you invest in the faculty and curriculum of Westmont College.
Adams Chair of Music and Worship
Former Westmont trustee Denise Adams and her husband, Stephen, established the Adams Chair of Music and Worship to enhance the music program at Westmont and increase its impact on the Santa Barbara community. Denise and Stephen are long-time patrons of the arts, especially in various educational contexts. They have experienced the transforming power of music and the visual arts and want to make these gifts available to future generations of students.
R. Anthony Askew Endowed Chair in Art
The R. Anthony Askew Chair honors professor emeritus Tony Askew, the founding director of Westmont’s former art museum, the Reynolds Gallery. Tony Askew retired in 2008 after 26 years of service.
Eaton Family Chair in Economics and Business
With the leadership of Trustee Emeritus David Eaton and his wife, Carol, the Board of Advisors, and gifts from alumni and friends, the Eaton Family Chair in Economics and Business was established in 2011. David served as Chairman of the Westmont Board of Trustees from 2001-2007 and Carol ’58 attended Westmont. Four of their children are Westmont graduates, and two of them were economics and business majors. This chair provides leadership to strengthen the economics and business program and expand its global focus.
Fletcher Jones Foundation Chair in Social Sciences
The Fletcher Jones Foundation and an anonymous donor established the Fletcher Jones Foundation Chair in the Social Sciences, the college’s first endowed chair in the social sciences. Beginning in 2008, every three to five years the chair will be awarded to an outstanding faculty member in history, sociology and anthropology, kinesiology, economics and business, education and liberal arts, political science, or the Urban Program in San Francisco. The faculty member receives an annual stipend, and in order to foster research, the professor teaches one less class per year.
Robert H. Gundry Chair in Religious Studies
An anonymous donor created the Robert H. Gundry Chair in Religious Studies in honor of professor emeritus Robert H. Gundry. Alumni, parents, and friends helped to support this chair by matching the donation. Robert H. Gundry is an internationally known New Testament scholar. He began working at Westmont College in 1962 after receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Manchester.
Kathleen Smith Chair of Natural & Behavioral Sciences
The Kathleen Smith Chair of Natural and Behavioral Sciences was established upon the death of Kathleen Smith through a bequest to the college. Kathleen was a long time friend of Westmont. She was impressed with the character of Westmont students after hiring them to work around her house. In 1997, Robert Gundry became the Kathleen Smith Chair professor of religious studies. Upon Dr. Gundry’s retirement the Robert H. Gundry Chair in Religious Studies was created and the Kathleen Smith Chair began to support a Natural and Behavioral Sciences professor.
T.B. Walker Chair in The Natural and Behavioral Sciences
The T.B. Walker Foundation, an anonymous donor, and friends established the T.B. Walker Chair in the Natural and Behavioral Sciences. This chair honors an outstanding professor in biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering-physics, mathematics, or psychology. Receiving this chair relieves a professor’s workload by one class, so he or she has more time to dedicate to research.