Westmont Magazine Good News for the Sciences, Music and Education at Westmont

Forbes has selected Westmont as the second-best college for minorities to earn a degree in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math.

Westmont graduates in the class of 2008 included 54 minority students, and 20 of them earned degrees in math, computer science or the sciences. This year, Westmont has 35 minority students enrolled in these majors.

Pennsylvania’s Westminster College ranked first in graduating women with these degrees, and Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota topped the list for graduating minorities. The analysis excluded schools where the student body is mostly female or minority students.

You can read the Forbes article online: http://www.forbes.com/2010/12/10/best-colleges-minorities-women-science-lifestyle-education-stem.html

Students majoring in music at Westmont will now be able to earn a teaching credential as well as a bachelor’s degree.The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing has approved Westmont’s application to offer a single-subject teaching credential for music.

“It’s good for our students, it’s good for the music department and it’s good for the local schools that need well-prepared music teachers,” says Andrew Mullen, chair of the Westmont Education Department.

“There has been a critical growth of students majoring in music at Westmont and this is one more established career option for them,” says Michael Shasberger, Adams professor of music and worship.

In 2004, three Westmont graduates earned degrees in music. Shasberger says currently there are upwards of 60 students pursuing degrees in music. In the future, Shasberger and Mullen hope to have about half a dozen students enroll for the music credential program.

Favorable reviews from the National Association of Schools of Music in 2008 and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing in 2009 encouraged Shasberger and Mullen to build the music credential program.