Summer 2010 Archive:
Learning How to Redeem Our Suffering
by Gayle D. Beebe, Ph.D. President Several shattering experiences with grief led me to wrestle with the problem of evil and suffering early in my career. I certainly don’t have it all figured out, but developing a uniquely Christian... Read More
Brace Yourself for Westmont Impact
What kind of impact does a Westmont education make in the lives of its graduates — and what kind of impact do these graduates make in the world? A new website, Westmont Impact, will answer this question. Using social... Read More
It’s Not Your Mother’s Library Anymore
Renovating all three floors of Voskuyl Library this summer did more than take out shelves, walls and cubicles: It demolished traditional ideas of library design and function. The theory of multiple intelligences has shaped new learning spaces throughout the... Read More
Campaign Gains Momentum
Momentum continues to build for the Bright Hope for Tomorrow campaign, which Westmont launched in April with an inspiring evening in Santa Barbara and the exciting announcement of a $5 million pledge from Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree. Three more regional... Read More
Two Magazines Rank Westmont in the Top 100
For the second straight year Westmont has ranked in the top 100 of the Best National Liberal Arts Colleges according to U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges, 2011 Edition.” Of the nation’s 266 liberal arts colleges that... Read More
New Facilities Finished for Fall Classes
Workers put finishing touches on two new buildings, Adams Center for the Visual Arts (large photo, above) and Winter Hall for Science and Mathematics (below), before students arrived for the fall semester. Faculty in four departments moved into their... Read More
Faculty Footnotes
In July, Jamie Friedman (English) presented a paper on the first of the Canterbury Tales, “Remembering Emelye,” at the International Congress of the New Chaucer Society in Siena, Italy. Tremper Longman, Robert H. Gundry professor of biblical studies, contributed... Read More
New Dean Will Assess Student Learning
Tatiana Nazarenko, former dean of instruction and assessment liaison at Centralia College (Wash.), is Westmont’s new dean of curriculum and educational effectiveness. Nazarenko’s predecessor, Professor Ray Rosentrater, will return to full-time teaching in the mathematics department. “Dr. Nazarenko is... Read More
Battling the Bordetella Bacteria
Research by biology professor Steve Julio ’92 could contribute to a new vaccine for whooping cough A resurgence of whooping cough, once nearly extinct, has created headlines in recent years. The disease poses the greatest danger to infants, but... Read More
New Faculty Eager to Blend Faith and Learning
The humanities division welcomes new professors in the English and Theater Arts departments Jamie Friedman, assistant professor of English, became fascinated by medieval studies when an English professor visited her history class to discuss Beowulf, the Old English epic... Read More
The Humiliation of the Word in Our Day
2010 Commencement Address by Richard J. Foster Author and Founder of Renovaré At the beginning of time the debar Yahweh, the Word of the Lord, brought the universe crashing into existence. God said, “Let there be light,” and the... Read More
Finding Hope Amid the Horrors of Human Trafficking
Reflections by Megan Moore ’13 on a 2010 Westmont Mayterm Trip Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get... Read More
A Question for Westmont Alumni
Instead of asking what alumni can give to Westmont, the new Westmont Alumni Advisory Council asks how Westmont can make the experience of being an alum more engaging. Building on the heartfelt gratitude many alumni express for their college... Read More
The Risky Business of Banking
Taking some risk is a necessary part of life, but how can we determine the right amount? Helga Houston ’83 lived with that question at Bank of America, where she became a risk executive after years in real estate... Read More
Taming Technology to Tell Stories About Life
Dane Howard ’94 likes to make technology easy to use. On a visit to Westmont, he takes a quick photo with his iPhone, uploads it to posterous.com, types a short caption, and readers of his blog, his friends on... Read More
An Animated Career
When he became a computer animator, Matt Baer ’93 was surprised to use sines and cosines to make a tornado. “I bought back all the physics and calculus books I used in school,” he says. “I never thought I’d... Read More
The Westmont Annual Fund is All About Students
To earn money this summer, Roxanne Love ’11 is working in construction. Breaking up concrete with a pounding jackhammer doesn’t faze her. A co-captain of the women’s soccer team, a goalie and a drummer for the chapel band, she’s... Read More
Designing Shirts and a Life of Ministry
Can junior high school students grasp theology? Cesar Castillejos ’03 believes they can. While studying systematic theology and biblical Greek at Bethel Seminary, he also worked with Young Life. Juggling seminary and youth ministry turned out well. “It forced... Read More
Learning to Live with Imperfection
When Kristin Rushforth Ritzau ’04 leads retreats for women she includes an art project as an exercise. “A lot of people crumple up and throw away their first efforts,” she says. “Most of them think they can’t be creative... Read More
New Students Take a Hike Before Class
For 36 years Inoculum has challenged incoming students to push themselves physically, intellectually and spiritually. This year, 16 first-year students, representing states from Hawaii to Massachusetts, enrolled in Inoculum, a unique orientation program at Westmont. For 12 days in... Read More
The Class of 2014 Brings Stellar Qualifications and Diversity to Westmont
The class of 2014 arrived Aug. 26 for a four-day orientation before classes began Aug. 30. The incoming 384 students include seven National Merit Scholars, 65 students from the Tri Counties and six international students from China, Singapore, Philippines,... Read More
Playing Soccer Opens Doors in Uganda
For the second time in four years, the Westmont women’s soccer team travels to Uganda to combine soccer and ministry During a two-week trip to Uganda in May, 19 members of the women’s soccer team, two coaches and five... Read More
Celebrating the Life of Bob Wennberg
The Westmont community has lost a much-loved professor. Robert N. Wennberg, who taught philosophy for 37 years, died July 18 at the age of 75 from pancreatic cancer. In addition to being a memorable teacher, he was an accomplished... Read More
Their Lifelong Ministry Began at Westmont
Leo ’59 and Molly Moellering ’60 Tautfest began a lifelong partnership in ministry at Westmont. For two summers, they participated in Lei O’Limas, a 10-week outreach program assisting churches in Hawaii. Leo describes it as a forerunner of Potter’s... Read More