Westmont News

Westmont presents its 12th annual Christmas Festival, retelling the Christmas story by weaving narration with music from the Westmont Orchestra, College Choir and Choral Union, Dec. 2-3 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 3, at 2 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 4, at 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 21 E. Constance Ave.

Santa Barbara celebrates the remarkable life and work of Shakespeare on the 400th anniversary of his death by hosting a series of performances, including three plays, by an international coalition of theaters and arts organizations Nov. 17-20.

Westmont student musicians and composers show off their talents at six free concerts this month. For more information, please contact the music department at (805) 565-6040.

Nicholas Vujicic, born without arms and legs, speaks in chapel on Friday, Oct. 28, at 10:30 a.m. in Westmont’s Murchison Gym. The 45-minute chapel service is free and open to the public; seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Westmont will honor the late William S. “Bill” Klug ’98 and Angie Hill ’90 as Alumnus and Alumna of the Year during Homecoming 2016 Oct. 14-16.

A small fire inside a storage closet at Westmont’s Page Hall forced the evacuation of about 200 students this evening around 5:40 p.m until 10 p.m.

One student suffered minor burn injuries to his feet, and emergency personnel took him to the hospital. The fire was quickly contained and did not damage any student rooms.

Westmont’s Reel Talk series explores the difficult issues associated with immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday, Sept. 29, at 7 p.m. in Adams Center room 216. Following the film, “Who Is Dayani Cristal?” there will be a panel discussion with five Westmont faculty and staff members who took part in a U.S. Border Immersion Faculty Seminar in May.

Westmont remains in the top 100 best liberal arts colleges by U.S. News & World Report for the eighth straight year.

Paul Cronshaw, president of the Santa Barbara Beekeepers Association, explores the critical ecological importance of bees in agriculture at a lecture Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 3:30 p.m. in Westmont’s Founders Dining Room.

Four distinguished tenure-track professors join Westmont’s faculty this fall: Elizabeth Gardner (communication studies), Carmen McCain (English), Jonathan Mitchell (physics) and Serah Shani (anthropology).

About 1,400 firefighters continue to make significant progress containing the Rey Fire, which is burning north and east, away from Santa Barbara and Westmont on the backside of the Santa Ynez Mountain Range.