Westmont News

A poetry reading by Paul Willis and Diana Raab originally planned for the day of the Tea Fire has been rescheduled for Saturday, February 28, at 8 p.m. in the Fe Bland Auditorium at Santa Barbara City College. The event is free and open to the public and will include a book sale and signing by the authors.

An original bilingual play, “Muéveme, Muévete,” a Spanish phrase meaning “Move Me, Move You,” crosses generations, languages and cultures at its world premier this month. Performances are Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 26-28, at 8 p.m. in Westmont’s Porter Theatre, and March 5-7 at 8 p.m. at Casa de la Raza, 601 East Montecito Street at Calle Cesar Chavez.

Christine M. Thomas, associate professor of religious studies at UC Santa Barbara, speaks about “Finding Paul in Ephesos: A New Archaeological Project” as part of the Erasmus Lecture series Thursday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m. in Hieronymus Lounge in Kerrwood Hall. The lecture is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served after the lecture.

Francis Edward Su, professor of mathematics at Harvey Mudd College, lectures on “Voting in Agreeable Societies” Friday, Feb. 6, at 3:30 p.m. in Westmont’s Porter Hall Room 4. The mathematics colloquium is part of the Natural and Behavioral Sciences Seminar, which is free and open to the public.

Westmont’s Reel Talk series is collaborating with the Reynolds Gallery to present a mini film festival Jan. 27, 29-30 about the various depictions of the Virgin Mary. All films will be shown at 7:30 p.m. in the Art Center Classroom 101 to allow for viewing of painter Bruce Herman’s exhibit, “Miriam--Virgin Mother.”

Westmont Professor Scott Anderson has won The Arts Fund 2008 Individual Artist Award (IAA) for print design. He and other winners will participate in a group exhibition March 13 through April 24 at the Arts Fund Gallery, 205C Santa Barbara Street at Yanonali.

A former Westmont basketball player, a successful businessman and a longtime Warrior supporter has joined the team as the college’s new athletic director. President Gayle D. Beebe announced the appointment of alumnus Dave Odell to this position today.

Three Westmont professors will discuss Walter Isaacson’s best-selling book, “Einstein: His Life and Universe,” at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 29, at the University Club, 1332 Santa Barbara Street, as part of Westmont Downtown: Conversations about Things that Matter. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Former CNN CEO, Time Magazine editor to be at 4th annual event

Local poets raised nearly $17,000 for the Westmont Wildfire Relief Fund at a benefit poetry reading December 6. Organized by Enid Osborn and Lois Klein and hosted by David Starkey at Santa Barbara City College, the event was a show of support for Paul Willis, a poet and professor of English at Westmont, and others like him who lost their homes and libraries in the fire.

Sempra Energy Foundation has given $20,000 to Westmont students affected by the Tea Fire. Flames damaged the residences of 62 students, destroying computers, books, school gear, clothing and other personal items.

In a decision released this week, California’s Second District Court of Appeal unanimously supported Westmont’s plan to update its campus facilities, reaffirming a December 2007 Santa Barbara County Superior Court ruling that upheld unanimous approvals by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors and the Montecito Planning Commission.

Four student venture teams from Westmont’s entrepreneur class will present their start-up business plans to a panel of outside reviewers Thursday, Dec. 11, at 5:30 p.m. at Hieronymus Lounge in Kerrwood Hall. The 19th annual Westmont Collegiate Entrepreneurship Business Plan Competition is free and open to the public. Networking and refreshments will begin at 5 p.m.

Westmont’s fall dance recital, “Stories From Africa,” originally planned for the weekend after the Tea Fire, has been rescheduled now that students have returned to campus. Performances will be Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 11-13, at 8 p.m. in Westmont’s Porter  Theatre.

Westmont’s famous 150-foot redwood affectionately known as the Pickle Tree survived the Tea Fire and will be the focus of attention at the seventh annual Christmas Tree Lighting on Kerrwood Lawn, Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Local poets have responded to the Tea Fire by organizing a reading in honor of Paul Willis, a Westmont English professor and poet who lost his home and library in the blaze. Proceeds from the reading will benefit the Westmont Wildfire Relief Fund. The event will be Saturday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. in the Fé Bland Forum at Santa Barbara City College.

After winning the Golden State Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Championship on Monday with a 2-0 victory over #5 Azusa Pacific, the twenty-fourth ranked Warriors of Westmont have turned their attention to the 2008 NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship Opening Round. The Warriors (10-6-2) will host Bay Area school Holy Names on Saturday in a seven o'clock game at UC Santa Barbara's Harder Stadium.

The Fourth Annual Westmont Christmas Festival, “Lo, How a Rose,” will ring in the advent season with three performances at First Presbyterian Church, 21 E. Constance at State Street. Admission to the festival Friday, Dec. 5, and Saturday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 7, at 3 p.m., is free, but tickets are required due to limited seating.

Violinist Philip Ficsor and local composer Emma Lou Diemer perform together Saturday, Nov. 22, at 3 p.m. in Santa Barbara Public Library’s Faulkner Gallery, 40 East Anapamu Street. The Santa Barbara Music Club presents the free concert.

Nona Pyron, internationally known cellist and adjunct professor at Westmont, will gather professional musicians from across the country for a Chamber Music Retreat Thursday, Nov. 13, through Sunday, Nov. 16, in Westmont’s Kerrwood Hall. Westmont students and other skilled amateurs will also participate in the master class. The retreat is full, but auditors are welcome.

Laura Montgomery, Westmont professor of anthropology, will discuss “The Global Imperative and Moral Education: Peace and Love or Something Else?” at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13, at the University Club, 1332 Santa Barbara Street, as part of Westmont Downtown: Conversations about Things that Matter. The lecture is free and open to the public.

The T.B. Walker Foundation, an anonymous donor and others have committed $1.5 million to Westmont toward the creation of the college’s first endowed chair in the natural and behavioral sciences. The T.B. Walker Foundation Chair in the Natural & Behavioral Sciences will honor the work of an outstanding faculty member in biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering/physics, mathematics or psychology.

Makoto Masuno returns to Westmont as assistant professor of chemistry after graduating from the college in 1997. Masuno transferred to Westmont in 1995 as a junior and chose chemistry as his major, but admits he hadn’t completed a single college chemistry course when he arrived.

“Ceramics: Form and Function” opens in Reynolds Gallery Thursday, Nov. 6, with a reception from 4-6 p.m., and will be on display through Dec. 19. The exhibition brings together work in clay by 14 internationally-recognized artists from around the world, each with a unique mode of working in the medium. Many pieces on display will be for sale.

The Westmont Orchestra will perform for the first time without “chamber” in its name. With 52 student musicians, the ensemble has outgrown the title. The orchestra’s inaugural concerts will be Friday, Nov. 7, at 8 p.m. in Hahn Hall at the Music Academy of the West, and Sunday, Nov. 9, at 3 p.m. in First Presbyterian Church at the corner of State and Constance downtown. Admission is $10, free for students.

Westmont officials broke ground on two new buildings Oct. 23, the first significant construction on the Montecito campus in 24 years. Trustees and other college dignitaries wielded gold shovels to turn dirt at the sites for the Adams Center for the Visual Arts and Winter Hall for Science and Mathematics.

Linda Kazibwe, born in Uganda and raised in Kenya, presents “An Exploration of African Dance Form” Thursday, Oct. 30, from 7:30-8:30 p.m. in Westmont’s Murchison Gym Dance Room. The workshop is free and open to the public.

Alister Chapman, assistant professor of history at Westmont, discusses “Two Cheers for Populism? John Stott and the Limits of Educated Evangelicalism in England” in a Phi Kappa Phi lecture Monday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. in Hieronymus Lounge. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Chapman explores issues of faith and education while researching the career of English evangelical leader John Stott.

Westmont Professor of Theatre Arts Mitchell Thomas received the Arlin G. Meyer Prize in the Performing Arts, given annually by the Lilly Fellows Program in the Humanities and the Arts at Valparaiso University. He accepted the award, which recognizes work that exemplifies Christian artistic vocation, at a ceremony at Seattle Pacific University Friday, Oct. 10.

Dr. David Newton, professor of entrepreneurial finance at Westmont and president of TechKnowledge Point, discusses the current economic meltdown in a special session of Tuesdays with Morals Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 3:30 p.m. in Westmont’s Page Multi-Purpose Room. The lecture, “Crisis Mode: How Freddie, Fannie, and Financial Engineering Changed Wall Street Forever,” is free and open to the public.

» "Westmont College Choir, with director Michael Shasberger. © Brad Elliott."

Seven regional high school choirs will practice and perform with Westmont’s four choral groups in the fourth annual Fall Choral Festival at First Presbyterian Church, Constance and State Street, Friday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Dwight Radcliff, president and CEO of U.S. Veterans Initiative (U.S. VETS), speaks about the effort to break the cycle of homelessness among our veterans Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. in Hieronymus Lounge inside Kerrwood Hall. U.S. VETS is the largest non-profit organization in the country dedicated to helping homeless and at-risk veterans.

As new vice president of information technology and CIO, Reed Sheard will oversee Westmont’s information systems beginning Oct. 1 when he joins the college’s executive team. He comes from Spring Arbor University in Michigan where he served as vice president for technology services for five years.

Two Westmont professors will discuss the role of religion in politics as part of Westmont Downtown: Conversations About Things that Matter. The event, “Does Religion Belong in Politics? Reflections in the Midst of the 2008 Campaign,” is free and open to the public, Thursday, Oct. 16, at the University Club, 1332 Santa Barbara St., at 5:30 p.m.

A record number of Westmont students spent Saturday morning, Sept. 20, pulling weeds, planting trees, spreading mulch and picking up trash during the United Way’s Day of Caring. More than 140 students pitched in, joined by several Westmont faculty and staff: Lesa Stern, associate professor of communication studies; Laura Wilson, secretary; Joy Johnson, administrative assistant; Heidi Henes-Van Bergen, secretary; and Karen Sloan, administrative assistant.