by Gayle D. Beebe, PH.D. President All of us have a longing to make our life count. There’s wonderful merriment involved in the college experience — as we witness in our students — but it’s also about finding our purpose in life and discovering what God wants to do through each one of us. In fact, we see our students … [more]
Pairing Rembrandt’s beggars with contemporary photos of urban poor provides a rich experience A series of small prints present a powerful message in “Sordid and Sacred: The Beggars in Rembrandt’s Etchings” on display in Reynolds Gallery this fall. The exhibition features 36 pieces from the John Villarino Collection. It’s the first show that Director Judy L. Larson, R. Anthony Askew … [more]
Reynolds Gallery has received a $113,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to help manage its permanent art collection. The federal grant, which requires matching funds from Westmont, is highly competitive; only 167 out of 433 applicants nationwide got the award. “The IMLS grant is a real encouragement for Westmont,” says Judy L. Larson, R. Anthony … [more]
Installing 802.11N network puts Westmont at the forefront of wireless technology and keeps campus well connected Westmont has suddenly emerged as a leader in wireless technology, becoming the only school in the country to completely move to an 802.11n wireless network that creates a wireless cloud over the entire campus. This computing technology, which the college began installing in August, … [more]
Richard Pointer, professor of history at Westmont and holder of the Fletcher Jones Foundation Chair in the Social Sciences, will serve as acting provost for two years. He replaces Warren Rogers, a physics professor who had served in this role since January 2007 and was eager to return to his teaching and research. A new search for a permanent chief … [more]
Westmont leaped 19 spots in this year’s ranking of the best liberal arts colleges according to U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges, 2010 Edition.” Of the nation’s 266 liberal arts colleges, Westmont finished at 92. This is the fifth straight year the college has ranked in the top tier. Only seven other liberal arts colleges in California are … [more]
Westmont hired brush-eating goats in August to clear defensible space around the campus, better protecting the college from future wildfires. Brush Goats 4 Hire, a Santa Barbara County company, delivered a herd of penned goats that chewed their way through several areas targeted by the Montecito Fire Department. Troy Harris, Westmont director of risk management, says the goats have been … [more]
Rebuilding after the Tea Fire nears completion as do some new projects under Westmont’s updated master plan A huge crane picked up and delicately lowered Westmont’s powerful Keck Telescope into its new home, a yet-to-be named observatory beyond the outfield fence of the baseball field. Consultants from the company that built the telescope, professors and students are fine tuning the … [more]
The T.B. Walker Foundation, an anonymous donor and other friends have committed $1.5 million to create the first endowed chair in the natural and behavioral sciences at the college. The T.B. Walker Chair in the Natural and Behavioral Sciences will honor the work of an outstanding professor in biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering-physics, mathematics or psychology. Jeff Schloss, distinguished professor … [more]
Three Westmont Departments Welcome Promising New Professors to Campus this Fall It’s a homecoming of sorts for Michelle Hughes ’89 (education) who first arrived at Westmont as a transfer student 23 years ago. She has worked as a teacher and assistant principal in Santa Barbara for two decades. Hughes enrolled at Westmont looking for a small liberal arts education and … [more]