Westmont News

Jason Tavarez joined the Westmont community as director of institutional resilience in February 2020 and almost immediately began working to protect the college from the dangers of COVID-19.

My father—Joseph Linden Sargent—passed away almost twelve years ago, yet there’s still hardly a Father’s Day that goes by when I don’t remind myself to call him. That thought usually hits me about dusk, or when I look at one of his watercolors on our walls. He died on his anniversary, nearly two years after my mother’s passing.

The Westmont community celebrates the many ways that God has gifted our students academically by announcing and honoring the Outstanding Graduate Awards in each department. Due to COVID-19, we were unable to publicly announce and honor them during the Academic Awards Convocation, which is typically held prior to Commencement. Here are the Outstanding Graduates of 2020.

Westmont welcomes Tim Loomer, who joins the staff July 1 as director of research, planning and implementation and assistant to the president for board relations. For the past two years, he has served as interim head of school at Providence.

Westmont’s ethnic studies minor, which enables students to examine the cultural, historical, political and social dimensions of a variety of racial and ethnic groups, has been revitalized.

"Treat others with kindness so they have the energy to be kind as well."

Montecito community members joined with Westmont to serve the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, which has distributed 2.25 million pounds of food during the COVID-19 response. Residents dropped off 151 bags of food at the rear parking lot of Montecito Bank and Trust on Coast Village Road on May 9 or asked that donated food be picked up from their homes.

Westmont College will donate 1,000 N95 masks to Santa Barbara Cottage Health’s front-line heroes combating the spread of COVID-19 in our community. Westmont has historically kept a supply of protective masks on campus for its students, faculty and staff to protect them from smoke during wildfires.

Keynote speakers David Brooks, Erin Meyer, Geoffrey Moore and Gayle D. Beebe share insights on effective and purposeful leadership at the 2020 Lead Where You Stand Conference June 3-5 at Westmont’s Global Leadership Center. Tickets to the affordable and transformative three-day conference cost $399 until March 30; $449 after, and may be purchased online at www.westmont.edu/lead. Guests may stay in comfortable rooms on Westmont’s beautiful campus.

Westmont music professors have brought back the popular Select House Concert Series, performing four chamber concerts on Saturdays, March 21, April 25, May 30 and June 20; all at 3 p.m. in homes to be announced once tickets have been purchased.

“Still Dreaming: Race, Ethnicity and Liberal Arts Education,” the 19th annual Gaede Institute Conversation on the Liberal Arts, gathers a national audience to explore how the liberal arts can promote more inclusive teaching, scholarship and institutional practices Feb. 27-29 at Westmont. The plenary sessions are free and open to the public.

The Westmont Music, Theater, and Art Departments join forces for the love of the arts to offer the first Valentine’s Arts Soiree, “A Fairy Tale,” on Valentine’s Day, February 14, beginning at 5 p.m. at Westmont’s Porter Theater. The magical evening includes delicious catered food, a silent auction and a romantic concert by the Westmont Orchestra.

The Westmont men’s and women’s basketball teams, who are both in first place in the Golden State Athletic Conference and ranked fourth nationally, host Arizona Christian University (ACU) on Thursday, January 30, and Ottawa University of Arizona (OUAZ) on Saturday, February 1.

Guest artist Nita June Davanzo directs “Love and Information,” a kaleidoscopic play exploring contemporary issues about knowledge, technology and communication, and our capacity for love, on January 30- February 2 in

One of the world’s most important thinkers, Daniel Kahneman has made a profound impact on many fields, including economics, medicine and politics. He won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002 for his influential work on the psychology of judgment and decision-making and behavioral economics. His groundbreaking book, “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” is an international bestseller.

Kahneman speaks at the 15th annual Westmont President’s Breakfast on Friday, March 6, from 7-9 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. The President's Breakfast has sold out.