Summer 2007 Archive:
Rigorous Academics and a Deep Love of God
What a joy it is to be at Westmont! Pam and I are settling into our new responsibilities, and the kids are doing great. If you’d like to get to know the entire Beebe family, check out pages 14-15... Read More
Students, National Rankings Remain Strong
For the third straight year, Westmont ranks in the top tier of the nation’s leading liberal arts colleges in the 2008 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges.” The college tied with 10 other institutions at... Read More
New Vice President for Finance Comes Highly Recommended
Doug Jones left his job as con-troller at Huntington College — his alma mater — in 2000 when Gayle Beebe recruited him to be vice president for finance and administration at Spring Arbor University. This year, after Beebe accepted... Read More
The Thinking Child’s Camp
Westmont offered six intriguing options for Santa Barbara parents seeking educational camps for their children this summer. From science to art, computers to theater and Spanish to writing, Think Camps provided learning experiences and old-fashioned fun. While the college... Read More
Westmont Alumnus Brings Corporate, Non-Profit Expertise to Board
Westmont alumnus Rick Ifland ’83, a successful private equity investor and entrepreneur, has joined the college’s board of trustees. “I’m thrilled to help create an optimal environment where tomorrow’s leaders can learn deeply,” he says. The unanimous approval of... Read More
CD, Concert Tour Create Double Celebration
Phil Ficsor took an interest in the music of William Bolcom as a teenager. During the summer of 1991, the violinist prepared to play in a national competition in upstate New York. He had to choose between two pieces... Read More
Grant Funds Scholarships
The National Science Foundation awarded Westmont professors Kim Kihlstrom and Wayne Iba a $287,500 grant for their project, Connection-Oriented Computer Science Education. The funds will provide scholarships of up to $10,000 each year to computer science majors who demonstrate... Read More
Faculty Footnotes
“Graphic Design and Religion,” a book by Daniel Kantor (Gia Publications, 2007), features two catalogs of art exhibits designed by Scott Anderson (art). The survey of design features various faith traditions. Carter Crockett (economics and business) traveled to China... Read More
The Next Generation of Scholars
Stephen Contakes Chemistry Ph.D.: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign A bioinorganic chemist, Contakes focuses on biological metal. “When you look at the chemistry involved in activities such as thinking and moving, metals play a key role in the ways our... Read More
Being at Home in the Body
As a boy, my days were spent outside, exploring, inventing, playing ball, getting dirty. We walked to school and biked to Little League practice. When confined indoors, we played with Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs and Slinkies. My sister was... Read More
Meet the Beebes
Gayle Beebe may be president of Westmont, but that title doesn’t impress his children. “He’s not known as president at home,” says his wife, Pam. A man who truly enjoys spending time with his family, Gayle readily joins in... Read More
Miss Chaty is Miss California
After appearing in her first parade as Miss California, Melissa Chaty ’06 discovered she’d become a role model overnight. “I was walking around at the end of the event, and a little girl ran up out of nowhere and... Read More
The Painting Life
John Morra ’85 went to Westmont even though he wanted to be an artist and the college’s art department barely existed. After he graduated with a major in English, he went across town to complete a bachelor of fine... Read More
Tabloid Prodigy, Prodigal Daughter
For three years as a tabloid reporter, Marlise Kast ’96 pursued celebrities to create headlines for Globe. Today she is making news herself with a tell-all book, “Tabloid Prodigy.” The first-person account describes the tactics she used — lying,... Read More
Taking Initiative to Help the Needy
Jedd Medefind ’97, special assistant to the president and deputy director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, helps lead an effort in Washington, D.C., the president describes as “a determined attack on need.” The office seeks to... Read More
Exploring Effective, Ethical Treatment for the Mentally Ill
When he first heard about the killings at Virginia Tech in April, Jeff Swanson ’79 reacted with shock and horror. The father of two college students, he’s a university professor in a neighboring state. But he took more than... Read More
Practicing Law on Skid Row
As a young preacher’s kid at church camp, Brittany Stringfellow Otey ’97 found herself circled and taunted by inner-city children. Furious, she demanded that her father kick them out. “There’s no better place for them to be,” he replied.... Read More
Seeking Social Justice through Social Work
Jill Carmichael ’03 loves being a social worker, but admits it can be trying at times. “When you do clinical work, you get frustrated because the system doesn’t work very well,” she says. “You want to focus on developing... Read More
Addressing All Nations, All Faiths
Josh Daneshforooz ’08 has attended four different colleges during his under-graduate career. The 23-year old senior says the other institutions didn’t challenge him academically like Westmont does. “Westmont is the ideal combination of academic excellence and character and spiritual... Read More
Continental Divide
A rare and unexpected opportunity to meet and talk to a four-time Olympic champion highlighted the 2007 Kinesiology Europe Mayterm for 25 traveling students. Through a series of phone calls and personal connections, Gregg Afman, professor of kinesiology, was... Read More
Fostering Family Traditions
Like his father and grandfather before him, Mark Wolfshorndl earns his living from the land. He grows almonds on his 500-acre family farm in Chowchilla, Calif.; his 82-year-old father still oversees an orchard. “It’s satisfying when the harvest comes... Read More
The Story Behind the Liberal Arts at Westmont
The genesis of the liberal arts at Westmont is a singular story, because the founders of “proto-Westmont” had in mind something quite different. In 1937, President Leland Entrekin opened the doors of the Bible-Missionary Institute, committed to education in... Read More
A Growing Appreciation for Christian Education
As a social worker focused on helping children, Alice Washington seeks to give them whatever they need to grow and develop. When she and her husband, Ed, sent their daughter Laura ’01 to Westmont, they wanted the same kind... Read More