Winter 2012 Archive:
Overcoming Deadly Thoughts with Godly Virtues
by Gayle D. Beebe, Ph.D., President We can assess the quality of our life with God by asking ourselves daily if we exhibit the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. If... Read More
Small Artwork Makes a Big Contribution
An Online Auction of Five-Inch-Square Works of Art Raises Money for the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. Small-scale creations from 400 artists across the country combined for a unique exhibition,“5X5:An Invitational,” at the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art in... Read More
Magazine Names Westmont as eCampus of the Month
The magazine eCampus News chose Westmont from nearly 4,500 colleges and universities as the eCampus of the Month for January 2012. The publication, which boasts a readership of more than 51,000 higher-education leaders, says Westmont has “implemented predictive modeling... Read More
Luncheons Examine Effective Leadership
President Beebe Will Speak Across the Country about His Book on Leadership and the Need to Develop Moral, Effective Leaders. Recognizing that leaders matter, President Gayle D. Beebe has written a book about leadership that reflects his experience as... Read More
Beebe Appointed to Board
The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) has elected President Gayle D. Beebe to a three-year term on its board of directors. He will represent a region that includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico,... Read More
The Latest New Spaces on Campus
Redesigning Porter Hall and Hubbard Hall Has Benefitted the Theatre Arts, Biology and Kinesiology Departments. When construction of Adams Center and Winter Hall ended in 2010, renovations of older facilities began. The Music Building emerged from the former Art Center... Read More
Donald Miller’s Storyline Conference Comes to Campus
Westmont Impact, a website and movement supporting the ministry of Westmont College, will host the Storyline Conference with Donald Miller June 8-9, 2012. The bestselling author has written several books, including “Blue Like Jazz” and “A Million Miles and... Read More
Shining Light on Las Barrancas
The Santa Barbara City Council recognized Westmont’s faculty homes in Las Barrancas with Solar Design Recognition Awards in December 2011.The neighborhood ranks as one of the first in the Santa Barbara County to become completely solar. Russell Smelley, former... Read More
A Westmont Community for Life
A New Online Tool, Westmont Connect, Will Forge Stronger Relationships Among Westmont Alumni Worldwide. When alumni said they wanted Westmont to become a more vital present-day resource for their personal and professional lives, the Office of Alumni and Parent... Read More
A Few Words from Mark Sargent
The College’s New Provost Shares Some Thoughts About His Life, His Career and His Work at Westmont. His Decision to Come to Westmont For years I have admired Westmont for its strong commitment to the Christian faith and to... Read More
Faculty Footnotes
JOHN BLONDELL (theater arts) will direct a play at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. “Globe to Globe” will feature 37 international companies presenting every single Shakespeare play during six weeks beginning... Read More
Sparkman Studies Snakes
Amanda Sparkman ’03 has joined the Westmont biology faculty, bringing expertise in evolutionary biology, a love of field research and a determination to inspire students to appreciate animals, even snakes. Sparkman didn’t intend to study the slithery reptiles when... Read More
A Sobering Assessment of Global Security
Robert Gates, who served as secretary of defense for two presidents of different parties, warned the audience at the Westmont President’s Breakfast March 2 that the political situation worldwide could grow more chaotic and dangerous, especially in the Middle... Read More
Ripples of Hope in South Africa
by Justin Zoradi ’04 I fidgeted anxiously in a metal chair, practicing my breathing. In a moment’s time, I would be addressing a crowd of nearly 1,000 people at a high school graduation in Cape Town, South Africa. The... Read More
Can Doubters Know God?
by James E. Taylor ’78 According to Cat Stevens (and more recently Sheryl Crow), “The First Cut is the Deepest.” When your first romantic love abandons you, it hurts more than subsequent break-ups do. In “Faith at the Edge:... Read More
Taking a Ministry of Education to the Inner City
Preston Hannibal ’71 avidly watched his father at work as an Episcopal priest and chaplain of his primary school.“I was fascinated with his job,” Preston says. He also admired the chaplain at UCLA, whose vital ministry clearly made an... Read More
Around the World in 340 Days
In 340 days, Phil Beccue ’81 and his family visited 33 countries on five continents, traveling 66,000 miles, staying in 99 cities, working on 10 service projects and snapping 80,000 photos. They walked away from their lives, leaving work,... Read More
Honoring a Hometown Hero
Civilians rarely ride with the Thunderbirds, an Air Force demonstration team that performs aerobatics at airshows. But Mark Lillis ’88 climbed into an F-16 last year and witnessed heart-stopping maneuvers from inside the cockpit. Before the flight, he spent... Read More
The Westmont Fund Is All About Students
Megan Donnelly ’15 searched for a college that took both aspects of her life seriously: her faith and her intellect. “So many schools seemed focused on one or the other,” says the high school valedictorian. Westmont offered the integration... Read More
Understanding Islamic Economy and Culture
Watching teachers in Uzbekistan pool a portion of their small salaries intrigued Sarah Tobin ’98, a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English in a desolate village near Bukhara. The women earned 50 cents a day and put $2 each month... Read More
Time for God
by Chrissie Mayer ’07 A new word defines a spreading phenomenon in Britain: olympify. British organizations—from massive banks to local charity shops—are channeling the excitement surrounding the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games for their particular purposes. Even the church... Read More
Summer Scholars Get a Jump Start on College
A New Westmont Program Brings High School Students to Campus to Experience College Life and Earn College Credits High school students curious about college can experience it in person by enrolling in a new program. Westmont allows juniors and... Read More
Bending Perceptions of Physics
Westmont’s Liberal Arts Curriculum Helps A Student Develop Her Interests in Physics and the Arts Bethany Sutherland ’12, a dancer and an artist, will earn a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering physics in May, the first Westmont... Read More
Remembering Rath
by Crystal Nelson Downing ’74 In Memory of Rathburn Shelton (1923-2012) I am who I am today because of Rath Shelton. Though his spirit has moved on, it continues to live on, and I want to acknowledge how his spirit... Read More
Westmont and the Liberal Arts
Since Westmont’s founding 75 years ago, the five planks of its educational program—liberal arts, Christian, undergraduate, residential and global—have characterized the college and shaped its history. A commitment to the liberal arts developed in the early years. When Ruth... Read More
The Lifelong Influence of the Liberal Arts
Ed ’53 and Marilyn Bjorklund ’55 Hayes began their life together at Westmont, and they circled back to Santa Barbara in 1997 when he retired. They’d visited campus often; Ed joined the board of trustees in 1974 and served... Read More