Westmont Magazine News of Note Around Campus

Susan Jackson, a long-time volunteer in Santa Barbara, has joined the Westmont Foundation Board of Directors, which cultivates ties between the college and the community.

“Westmont is a special place because it attracts young adults who exemplify Christian principles and who are good role models,” Jackson says. “As a board member, I’ll have an inside view of what’s going on, and it enables me to serve as an ambassador.”

Jackson graduated from UC Berkeley and earned a master’s degree from Lancaster University, U.K. She volunteers for Crane School, Cate School, Casa del Hererro and the Garden Club. Her husband, Palmer Jackson Jr., is chief operating officer of a technology start-up he co-founded.

Jane Higa, Westmont dean of students and vice president for student life, accepted the first Jane Hideko Higa Multicultural Advancement Award from the Association for Christians in Student Development (ACSD) in June. Named in Higa’s honor, the award recognizes individuals doing excellent work in advancing multicultural competency.

“There are few people who have contributed more to ACSD over the years than Jane Higa,” said Brad Lau, ACSD president and vice president for student life at George Fox University. “Jane is someone I have deeply respected and admired for many years as a model of excellence and a person who lives a life worth emulating.” Higa, who received the prestigious Don L. Boender Award in 1998, has served on the ACSD executive committee as both vice president and president-elect and chairs the diversity task force. She has been active in the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) as former chair of the Commission of Chief Student Development Officers and as a member of the Racial Harmony Commission.

The brightly colored glass blocks from the original DC walls reappeared briefly this summer when construction uncovered an old exterior wall retained as part of the snack bar adjacent to the dining area. A major renovation will alter the interior of the dining commons, and the first phase involved knocking out this wall to create more dining space.