Westmont News

Dave Wolf

Associate professor of kinesiology and head coach of men's soccer at Westmont College

What are the chances that soccer will become as popular as baseball or football in the next 10 years?

Under cloudy skies, 299 bright Westmont seniors celebrated their graduation May 7 at a lush Carr Field. About 5,000 family members and friends witnessed the pageantry as the college honored its top graduates and professors. Of the 299 students, 105 of them graduated with honors.

With a leadership gift from Roy and D’Aun Goble, Westmont has created the Goble Center for Global Learning as part of the new Global Leadership Center, which includes two residential buildings, the Leadership Center and five programmatic initiatives.

Westmont breaks ground on new facilities for the college’s Global Leadership Center on Thursday, May 5, at 3:30 p.m. at the construction site, east of Van Kampen Hall. The ceremony is open to the public.

The Westmont College Choir tours the Pacific Northwest May 8-19 with California performances in Shafter, Davis, Redding and Grass Valley; Oregon performances in Klamath Falls and Salem; Washington performances in Seattle, Anacortes and Lakewood; and Vancouver British Columbia.

Two Westmont seniors, Aria Hamann and Jarrett Catlin, both Monroe Scholars, have been awarded Fulbright Scholarships to conduct research and teach English outside the U.S. next year.

The 2016 Lead Where You Stand Conference features a dynamic, one-day event Thursday, June 2, focusing on leadership and the millennial generation. Held at Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara, the conference begins at noon, includes four talks and two meals, and ends at 8 p.m. The cost is $149 per person (westmont.edu/lead).

Jupiter and several impact craters on the moon will be the focus of this month’s free public viewing of the stars with Westmont’s powerful Keck Telescope on Friday, April 15, beginning at 7:30 p.m. and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory. The best viewing generally occurs later in the evening.

April offers a diverse variety of concerts both on and off campus, all free and open to the public, except the Orchestra Concerto Concerts. For more information, please contact the music department at (805) 565-6040.

Thanks to a major gift, Westmont has established the Linda and Bill Hughes Center for Neuroscience and Leadership as part of the college’s new Institute for Global Learning and Leadership.

Santa Barbara residents Marshall Miller and Jennifer Markham have joined the Westmont Foundation, which cultivates ties between Westmont and the community.

Seventeen graduating art majors will display their capstone art projects April 7-May 7 at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. A free, public reception opens “Primed: Westmont Senior Art Exhibition 2016” on Thursday, April 7, from 4-6 p.m.

Jupiter returns to the night sky for stargazers at this month’s free public viewing of the stars with Westmont’s powerful Keck Telescope on Friday, March 18, beginning at 7:30 p.m. and lasting several hours at the Westmont Observatory.

David Cole, a biochemist at UC Berkeley for 36 years and a Westmont trustee for 12, died March 13. He was 91. A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 2, at 2 p.m. at the Free Methodist Church of Santa Barbara, 1435 Cliff Drive.

Westmont music department provides a range of musical performances in the month of March, all free, unless otherwise noted. For more information, please contact the music department at (805) 565-6040.

“Bonjour de France!” a family day celebrating French culture, includes fun activities, crafts, food, music and performances Saturday, March 5, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in and around the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. The festival, which is free and open to all ages, will have food and items in the French Flea Market for sale.

Senior Christine Nathanson, star of Westmont’s production of “Euripides’ Electra” in 2014, directs “Tar and Feather” in Porter Theatre on March 4 at 8 p.m. and March 5 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. The performances, which are free and open to the public, contain mature content.

Westmont musicians and composers offer a variety of events this week, all free and in Deane Chapel on Westmont’s lower campus. For more information, please contact the music department at (805) 565-6040.

About 100 semi-finalists begin arriving at Westmont Friday, Feb. 5, for the first Augustinian Scholarship competition that will award scholarships worth at least $35,000 per year to 30 applicants.