Former Westmont VP Jane Hideko Higa Dies

President Gayle D. Beebe announced Saturday that Jane Hideko Higa, former vice president for student life and dean of students, died Friday evening, Sept. 5, of ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. She was 63. Jane retired a year ago after 24 years at Westmont, the longest serving vice president in college history. A memorial service will be held Saturday, Sept. 13, at 10:30 a.m., at Santa Barbara Community Church, 1002 Cieneguitas Road, Santa Barbara.

“Pam and I are devastated to learn of her death,” Beebe says. “Yet we’re thankful her suffering has ended and that she rejoices in the presence of Jesus. Her work at Westmont and the national student life community lives on through the people she has mentored and inspired and the generations of students she has lovingly guided. I greatly admire the way she brought faculty and student life staff together to connect Westmont’s curricular and co-curricular programs—she profoundly shaped the educational experience we offer students. In addition to being an effective and wise administrator, Jane was a gracious, hospitable person. We will never forget her.”

In 2013, Beebe announced the creation of the Jane Higa Academic and Co-Curricular Partnership Award for those who continue the productive relationship between faculty and student life staff Jane cultivated over the years.

After graduating from Westmont in 1973 with a degree in social science, Jane earned a Master of Science in education with a major in college student personnel services from the University of Southern California. She served for seven years as dean for student affairs and two years as dean of women at Biola University before joining the Westmont staff in 1989 as vice president for student life and dean of students.

Beginning with Westmont’s 1995 long-range plan, Jane led the college’s discussion on diversity. She served for years on the Diversity Committee and gently guided Intercultural Programs, reaching out to students of color and international, missionary and third-culture students. Committed to the “thoughtful and intentional study of and interaction with multiple cultures,” she encouraged the Westmont community to celebrate diversity as an aspect of God’s creation. Student diversity increased from 15 to 29 percent in the past 12 years, and Jane’s desire to make Westmont a safe place and home and for all students has played a key role in that success.

While she set broad policies for student life at Westmont, Jane also worked with students one-on-one, making time to mentor those who sought her out.

Jane’s student life work and involvement with the Association of Christians and Student Development (ACSD) earned national acclaim, and she received ACSD’s prestigious Don L. Boender Award in 1998. She served on the ACSD executive committee as both vice president and president-elect, spoke at numerous conferences, chaired the planning team for the annual conference and served as chair of the diversity task force. In 2011, ACSD honored her with its first Jane Hideko Higa Multicultural Advancement Award, which recognizes individuals doing excellent work in advancing multicultural competency.

Jane also worked with Council of Christian Colleges and Universities as former chair of the Commission of Chief Student Development Officers and as a member of the Racial Harmony Commission.

To read more about Jane’s remarkable life, see this story in the Westmont magazine.

Jane is survived by her husband, Jim Mannoia, who taught philosophy at Westmont for 15 years before serving as vice president for academic affairs at Houghton College and president of Greenville College, and her two children, Josh Higa ’03 and Emiko Corey ’06, and Emiko’s husband, Aaron. Jane’s first husband, Paul Higa, died in 2006.

Here is a slideshow of Jane during her 24 years at Westmont.