Westmont News

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  • Summer Triangle Shines from Milky Way

    August 16, 2022

    This month’s public viewing of the stars will focus on several exotic Messier objects as the summer Milky Way stretches across the sky from the northeast to the southwest. The free viewing on Friday, Aug. 19, begins at sunset and lasts several hours at the Westmont Observatory.

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  • Observatory Hosts Friday Star Party

    July 11, 2022

    It’s globular cluster season at the Westmont Observatory with this month’s viewing focusing on two conglomerations containing hundreds of thousands of stars. The free, public viewing of the stars is Friday, July 15, beginning at 7 p.m. and lasting several hours. Face coverings will be required at the event.

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  • Student Teachers Make the Grade

    July 8, 2022

    A tight-knit cohort of five Westmont student teachers shared inspirational stories about their experiences in the classroom at an emotional Celebration of Teaching April 28 on campus. Linda Ngo, Sam Cordes, Hannah Boelter, Simon Janzen and Shae Caragher, who all earned California Preliminary Credentials, spoke at the event, held for the first time since 2019.

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  • Senior Earns Praise from French University

    July 6, 2022

    Westmont senior Chloe White earned the Etienne Gros Prize for Academic Excellence in Literature this summer after graduating from the French Honors program at the Institute for American Universities (IAU) in Southern France.

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  • Remembering Professor Emeritus Paul Wilt

    June 24, 2022

    Paul Wilt, Westmont professor emeritus of history, died June 23 at the age of 93. He is survived by his wife, Doris, and their four children: Tom, Marilyn ’74, Janet ’76 and Daniel ’84. A memorial service will be held at Shoreline Community Church, 935 San Andres Street, Santa Barbara, on Saturday, July 16, at 10 a.m. He has requested donations to Westmont instead of flowers.

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  • Strong Family Ties for Fulbright Scholars

    June 1, 2022

    Two Westmont graduates and Augustinian Scholars, John Corbett ’22 and Kyle Mayl ’21, have won Fulbright Scholarships to teach English outside the United States. Corbett will serve in the Czech Republic while Mayl will be in Spain.

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  • Weird Science: Teens Explore Physics

    May 24, 2022

    Nearly 40 local high school students enrolled in an AP physics course visited Westmont May 16 for a hands-on exploration into how the universe behaves. The event, “Understanding Physics from Galaxies to Particles,” was led by Ben Carlson, Westmont assistant professor of physics.

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  • Celebrating the Class of 2022

    May 9, 2022

    Commencement speaker Michael Shasberger, between stints of conducting the Westmont Orchestra, told the 2022 graduates they’d attain their greatest happiness when they discovered how to give away what they valued most. Coincidentally, President Gayle D. Beebe introduced Shasberger with news that the Michael Shasberger Student Scholarship Fund for Music.

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  • Nothing ‘Uncanny’ about Talented Local Artists

    May 3, 2022

    The abundance of accomplished artists from the Tri-County area is on full display at the annual juried exhibition in the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. Westmont alumnus and hyperrealist painter Robin Eley ’01 juried the show, “Uncanny,” which is available May 19-June 18. A free, public, opening reception for the exhibition is Thursday, May 19, from 4-6 p.m. at the museum.

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  • Retiring Shasberger to Address Grads

    April 29, 2022

    Michael Shasberger, who retires as the inaugural Adams professor of music and worship, delivers the address at Commencement Saturday, May 7, at 9 a.m. on Westmont’s Thorrington Field. Westmont President Gayle D. Beebe presents Westmont Medals to Steven A. and Denice D. Fellows for their tireless service and dedicated leadership in improving the delivery of healthcare.

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  • Grierson Wins the Great Debate

    April 26, 2022

    Graduating political science major and Westmont College Student Association (WSCA) President Hannah Grierson argued her way to the top of the Westmont Debate Tournament and earned $500 on April 23 in the Global Leadership Center. She argued against the topic of the United States implementing a universal basic income. Sophomore Eden Lawson, who recently won the David K. Winter Servant Leadership Award, came in second place, taking home $250.

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  • Full Moon Rises at Westmont Observatory

    April 12, 2022

    A rising full moon will greet visitors to the Westmont Observatory at the free, monthly public viewing of the stars on Friday, April 15, beginning at 7 p.m. and lasting several hours. Face coverings will be required at the event.

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  • Downtown Talk Explores Music in COVID

    April 11, 2022

    Michael Shasberger, Westmont’s Adams professor for music and worship, shares stories of musical exploration and perseverance during a pandemic at a free public lecture, “Making Music in the Age of COVID: Challenges, Opportunities, Risks and Meaning,” on Wednesday, April 20, at 5:30 p.m. in the outdoor patio of Westmont’s newest downtown Santa Barbara building, 29 W. Anapamu.

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  • Brooks Headlines In-Person Leadership Conference

    April 6, 2022

    Keynote speakers David Brooks, Erin Meyer, Gayle D. Beebe, Marcus “Goodie” Goodloe, Shaylyn Romney Garrett and Robert Putnam share insights on effective and purposeful leadership at the 2022 Lead Where You Stand Conference June 1-3 at Westmont’s Global Leadership Center. Tickets to the three-day event, which cost $499, may be purchased at westmont.edu/lead. Those who buy four seats, get one free. 

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  • Fringe Returns to ‘Unfamiliar Waters’

    April 6, 2022

    The Westmont Fringe Festival returns with a four-day, student-led celebration of the arts April 21- 24, beginning at 7 p.m. in and around Porter Theater. About 80 students are acting, designing, directing or writing plays and poetry for the performance extravaganza themed “Unfamiliar Waters.” A four-day, all-access general admission pass costs $20; $15 for seniors/students. A one-day pass is $10 with no student/senior discount. Tickets may be purchased at westmont.edu/boxoffice.

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  • An Elegant Entrance Welcomes You to Westmont 

    April 5, 2022

    The next time you drive to campus, you’ll discover beauti­ful new kiosks featuring sandstone, greenery and vine-covered trellises. Westmont has widened each entrance and designed the kiosks to better protect the campus.

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  • Spring Sing Bounces Back at the Bowl

    April 5, 2022

    The 61st annual Westmont’s Spring Sing, a student-performed variety show and competition between residence halls, was back and in person at the Santa Barbara Bowl April 1. It is the longest running tradition on campus and involves more students than any other college event.

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  • Mangrum Wins Prestigious Research Award

    March 29, 2022

    Kya Mangrum, assistant professor of English, has won a $9,900 Graves Award in Humanities research grant. A 2021 Westmont Teacher of the Year, Mangrum is conducting research for a new book exploring how Americans remembered and wrote about slavery and the Civil War in the first five decades (1865-1915) following Emancipation and the end of the war.

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  • Chemistry Department Earns ACS Approval

    March 28, 2022

    After a 10-year process, the American Chemical Society (ACS) Committee on Professional Training voted in January 2022 to include Westmont College on the list of institutions approved by ACS. Effective immediately, the society will certify the degrees of Westmont graduates who complete the requirements of the college’s Professional Track for Chemistry.

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  • Music Department Awards Top Scholarships to Guild Winners

    March 8, 2022

    The Westmont Music Department handed out tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships to musicians and singers as part of its annual guild competitions. Corrie Bascom, a violinist from Minnesota, won the 10th annual Instrumental Guild Competition Feb. 26 and Hailey Somphone, a soprano from Fullerton, won the Vocal Guild Competition on March 5. Each will receive up to $10,000 in annual music scholarships funds (up to $40,000 for four years) to study at Westmont.

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  • Author Michael Lewis Shares Insight to His Bestsellers

    March 7, 2022

    Bestselling author Michael Lewis shared insight into his blockbuster books such as “Moneyball,” “The Undoing Project” and “The Fifth Risk,” at the 17th annual President’s Breakfast March 4 at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort.

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  • Musicians Perform in Guild Competition

    February 23, 2022

    The Westmont Music Department holds its 10th annual Instrumental Guild Competition with six finalists performing for college scholarships on Saturday, February 26, at 7 p.m. in Deane Chapel.

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  • More Money, Love: Theater Stages ‘The Miser’

    February 9, 2022

    The Westmont College Festival Theatre and John Blondell, Westmont’s award-winning director and professor of theater arts, stage “The Miser, or the School for Lies,” Moliere’s funny, highly theatrical on-the-verge-of-the-absurd comedy Feb. 25-26, March 3-5 at 7:30 p.m., and March 5 at 2 p.m., all in Westmont’s Porter Theatre. Tickets are $10 for students and seniors, $15 for adults, and may be purchased online at westmont.edu/boxoffice.

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  • High Schoolers Compete at Math Field Day

    February 8, 2022

    Westmont’s 33rd annual Mathematics Field Day, featuring seven Southern California high schools, is Saturday, Feb. 12 from 1-5:15 p.m. in Winter Hall. The awards banquet begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Global Leadership Center. The event, co-directed by Westmont mathematics professors Anna Aboud and Russell Howell, features student teams from Cate, Dos Pueblos, La Cañada, Oaks Christian, Providence, San Marcos and Santa Barbara.

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  • Senior Wins Top Oxford Scholarship

    February 1, 2022

    Westmont senior Lexy Gillette, a double major in physics and chemistry, will attend the University of Oxford in the fall after earning the prestigious John and Daria Barry Foundation Scholarship. The award, given to about 10 students a year from select institutions, covers tuition, fees and living expenses, also provides a stipend and research and travel allowances for at least two years. Lexy, who will pursue a doctorate in inorganic chemistry, is one of the first few recipients in the natural sciences.

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