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Jennifer Ito, �鶹avӳ����ý assistant professor of physics, explores the history of the cosmological model in a free, public talk Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. in the Simmons Center at the Global Leadership Center. The Paul C.

The Martin Institute for Christianity and Culture and the Dallas Willard Research Center have chosen ’s book, “,” as the winner of the

, carved and colorfully decorated wooden figures, are more than just beautiful works of art: They represent Katsinam spirits believed to bring blessings of good health, growth and fertility. A unique exhibition, celebrating the resurgence of a traditional carving method, features dozens of the Katsina (or “Kachina” to non-Hopi people) dolls and is open through May 4 in the lower level of the �鶹avӳ����ý Ridley-Tree Museum of Art.

A renovation of the first-floor recording studio and music lab in �鶹avӳ����ý’s Music Building will provide state-of-the-art equipment for students thanks to a generous gift from longtime Santa Barbara resident and alumnus '55.

Wendy Eley Jackson draws on three decades of experience in film and television in her talk, “The Transformative Power of Storytelling” for a �鶹avӳ����ý Downtown Lecture on Thursday, Feb. 1, at 5:30 p.m. at the , 631 Garden Street, in downtown Santa Barbara. The event is free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations are required.

“I was surprised at the sheer size of the math world,” said first-year student Isaiah Conway, reflecting on his trip with fellow students and faculty to the world’s largest mathematics conference Jan. 3-6 in San Francisco. Ten students and three faculty members were among nearly 6,000 other mathematicians at annual (JMM), hosted by the American Mathematical Society.

A double feature operatic performance opens the curtains on the �鶹avӳ����ý music department’s spring concert season with productions of Gian Carlo Menotti’s “The Telephone” and Douglas Moore’s “Gallantry” Jan. 19 and 21 at 7 p.m. in Porter Theatre. Purchase tickets, which cost $20 general admission and $15 for students and seniors, online at westmont.edu/boxoffice.

, a veteran diplomat, respected scholar of international relations and president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, speaks at the 19th annual �鶹avӳ����ý President’s Breakfast on Friday, March 1, from 7-9 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom of . The event has sold out.

This month’s Stargazing at the �鶹avӳ����ý Observatory features Jupiter and its four Galilean moons as well as M42, the Orion Nebula, on Friday, Jan. 19, beginning after 6 p.m. and lasting for several hours. The observatory, home of the powerful Keck Telescope, is open to the public every third Friday of the month and held in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit (SBAU) whose members bring their own telescopes to share with the public.

Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree’s entire collection of , which includes 11 paintings, 12 lithographs and a drawing, goes on display Jan. 11-March 23 in the �鶹avӳ����ý Ridley-Tree Museum of Art.

For two decades, Siegwart ‘Zig’ Reichwald, �鶹avӳ����ý’s Adams professor of music and worship, engrossed himself in the sacred music of German composer and performer Felix Mendelssohn. But when he came to his works written for the Berlin Cathedral in 1843-44, he was struck by how unusual they were compared to the rest of Mendelssohn’s musical creations.

Crews have begun a $2 million renovation project to Westmont’s Dining Commons with the majority of the work being funded by Bon Appetit, the college’s food service provider since August 2022.

�鶹avӳ����ý celebrated the accomplishments of 18 new graduates of the �鶹avӳ����ý Downtown | Grotenhuis Nursing program at a pinning ceremony Dec. 14 at Montecito Covenant Church. This is the second cohort to graduate from the 16-month accelerated bachelor of science in nursing program, housed at 26 W. Anapamu.

Two �鶹avӳ����ý students presented their research at a joint meeting of the Nuclear Physics Divisions of the American and Japanese Physics Societies Nov. 26-Dec. 1 on the Big Island of Hawaii. Natalie Fogg '24 and Reese Toepfer '26 joined Robert Haring-Kaye, �鶹avӳ����ý professor of physics and department chair of physics and engineering, at the event that featured more than 100 undergraduates from both nations.

Bundle up and head to the �鶹avӳ����ý Observatory, which opens to the public for its free, monthly Stargazing event Friday, Dec. 15, beginning at sunset and lasting several hours. Saturn and many other celestial delights will be targeted by �鶹avӳ����ý’s powerful Keck Telescope and the other scopes owned by members of the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit, whose members set up around the observatory.

�鶹avӳ����ý junior Analee Josselyn '25, a history and economics and business double major, and Conrad Morgan '23, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, are attending the .

Overcoming obstacles was the challenge of the day as the �鶹avӳ����ý Engineering Department hosted its third annual remote control car competition Dec. 7 in front of Kerrwood Hall.

New this year, students competed in a bowling pin knockout following the traditional figure eight race. The competition was tight and a final race with all three cars was needed to determine a winner.

With the arrival of Advent, , professor emeritus of English and former Santa Barbara poet laureate, has co-edited an anthology of readings “A Radiant Birth: Advent Readings for a Bright Season.” Madeleine L'Engle, Marilyn McEntyre, Eugene Peterson, Tania Runyan, Luci Shaw, Jeanne Murray Walker, Walter Wangerin, Lauren Winner and Philip Yancey contribute to the book, which provides daily readings for the four weeks of Advent and two weeks of Christmas.

�鶹avӳ����ý is on the board! Monopoly: The Santa Barbara Edition includes a space featuring the Montecito campus in the light purple section where Virginia Avenue sits in the classic game. The only college featured on the board, �鶹avӳ����ý appears between two iconic locations: the Santa Barbara Harbor and the Santa Barbara Airport. The square features a Brad Elliott photo highlighting the college’s iconic Italian fountain, a replica of one dating from the 19th century that graced the Dwight Murphy estate, which �鶹avӳ����ý purchased in 1945.

A study of older U.S. South Asians examines relationships between religious service attendance (temple, mosque, etc.), anxiety and feelings of emotional neglect by fellow congregation members. The research finds that among U.S. South Asians, those who attend religious services more often are also more likely to experience higher levels of anxiety. Further, much of this relationship can be attributed to feelings of being ignored or neglected by other members of the congregation.

�鶹avӳ����ý Festival Theatre reimagines the life of as if she spoke like a Beverly Hills teenager in Chiara Atik’s “Poor Clare” on Dec. 7-9 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. in Porter Theatre. Tickets, which cost $20 for general admission and $12 for students and seniors, may be purchased at westmont.edu/boxoffice.

has awarded �鶹avӳ����ý a $1.25 million grant to create a unique program exploring the meaning and value of in-person Christian preaching. At a time when much communication takes place online, remotely and impersonally, the Incarnational Preaching Project will invite active and aspiring preachers to investigate the value of preaching live to a church community.

The (CCNE) voted to approve accreditation for �鶹avӳ����ý’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program. �鶹avӳ����ý had to clearly demonstrate that its nursing program, which launched in January 2022, met all four of the CCNE standards: mission and governance, institutional commitment and resources, curriculum and teaching-learning practices, and assessment and achievement of program outcomes.

For Giving Tuesday, a generous donor has pledged $50,000 to double the impact of gifts made to the �鶹avӳ����ý Fund between Nov. 21-28 until midnight or until the pledge amount runs out. 

An ecological restoration project near the �鶹avӳ����ý campus has begun with students, faculty and staff planting about 45 native coast live oaks. This first phase focuses on an area where Montecito Fire removed many dead and dying eucalyptus trees last summer.

The �鶹avӳ����ý Women’s Leadership Council Luncheon features , certified financial planner and behavioral financial advisor, on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, 12-2 p.m. in the Global Leadership Center. A limited number of tickets, which cost $100 per person, may be purchased .

�鶹avӳ����ý celebrates Advent with “Let There be Light!” a festive gathering, tree lighting, hot cocoa and opportunity to take photos with Santa on Wednesday, Nov. 29, from 5-7 p.m. on Kerrwood Lawn. The family-friendly event is free and open to the public.

The �鶹avӳ����ý Ridley-Tree Museum of Art’s most popular exhibition and fundraiser returns to Montecito on Nov. 30- Dec. 15 offering viewers an opportunity to see and bid on more than 675, small 5-inch-square works by regional, national and international artists. The museum hosts a free, public opening reception on Thursday, Nov. 30, from 4-6 p.m.

Longtime �鶹avӳ����ý trustee Gary Harris died Oct. 27 from a heart attack. He was 87.

President Gayle D. Beebe announced to the �鶹avӳ����ý community that he and Pam were praying for Gary's wife, Jo Harris, and their family, and encouraged the community to do so as well.

Violinist , who served on �鶹avӳ����ý’s music faculty from 2006-13, returns to college for a recital with , a violin-piano duo consisting of Ficsor and pianist Constantine Finehouse, on Sunday, Nov. 5, at 3 p.m. in Deane Chapel. The concert, featuring American masterworks for violin and piano by John Corigliano and Daniel Gee ’13, �鶹avӳ����ý director of choral activities, is free and open to the public.

The 19^th annual �鶹avӳ����ý Christmas Festival, which marks the beginning of the holiday season for many in Santa Barbara, combines orchestra and choirs at the , the central coast’s premier performing arts venue in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 3, at 3 p.m. Tickets, which cost $22 each, go on sale Wednesday, Nov. 1, at 5 p.m. at westmont.edu/christmas-festival.

�鶹avӳ����ý’s science professors have obtained a new tool for their teaching and research. The biology, chemistry, engineering and physics departments will all use the Hitachi scanning electron microscope (SEM), housed in Winter Hall. Its focused beam of electrons interacts with atoms in the sample to produce an image.

A large crowd that included students, faculty, trustees and industry professionals on the college’s engineering board gathered to dedicate �鶹avӳ����ý’s new Fletcher Jones Foundation Center for Engineering at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 20. students hosted an open house in their new digs, highlighting their research and explaining the uses of the machinery.

“What Should We Do About State Street?” The �鶹avӳ����ý Center for Dialogue and Deliberation (WCDD) hosts a conversation on this pressing issue and invites Santa Barbara residents to share their ideas for shaping and co-creating this special public space. When you to the free, public event held Thursday, Oct. 26, from 6:45 p.m.-8:45 p.m., you’ll receive information about the location and parking information because space is limited.

On the heels of Saturday’s annual solar eclipse, the �鶹avӳ����ý Observatory opens to the public with the two gas giants, Jupiter and Saturn, making an appearance in the night sky Friday, Oct. 20, beginning at sunset and lasting several hours. This month’s free stargazing event features the college’s powerful Keck Telescope, a computer-controlled 24-inch reflector, and other telescopes from members of the .

Katherine Bryant, assistant professor of political science, will speak about “The Changing Geopolitical Landscape and the Role of Foreign Aid” at a �鶹avӳ����ý Downtown Lecture on Thursday, Nov. 9, at 5:30 p.m. at the , 631 Garden Street, in downtown Santa Barbara.

�鶹avӳ����ý’s alumni returned to campus for Homecoming 2023 and to honor four stellar individuals at the annual Alumni Awards Celebration Brunch.

The college recognized honorees Jay (Ofori) Diallo ’08 (Alumnus of the Year); Jenise Steverding '97 (Alumna of the Year); Carl LaBarbera ’76 (Global Service); and Gabriella (Pinheiro Chavez) Avila ’14 (Young Alum) for their remarkable achievements in their personal careers on Oct. 14.

The �鶹avӳ����ý Orchestra will perform one of Tchaikovsky’s most well-known compositions at the Fall Orchestra Concert on Friday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m. in �鶹avӳ����ý’s Page Hall; and Sunday, Oct. 22, at 3 p.m. in Hahn Hall at the Music Academy of the West. The concerts are free and open to the public. For more information, please contact the music department at (805) 565-6040 or email music@westmont.edu.

�鶹avӳ����ý has become an Emerging Hispanic Serving Institution with more than 23% of students identifying as Latino or Hispanic. The designation is a result of local partnerships, improved outreach efforts and the addition of several key college employees. 

was officially installed as Adams professor of music and worship at �鶹avӳ����ý in a day that featured the college choir, orchestra and chapel band performing music from the Psalms, Felix Mendelssohn and rock band U2.

Dave LeMieux ’93, new director of worship for , performs a two-part multimedia event, "," on Wednesday, Oct. 18, and Friday, Oct. 20, at 10:30 a.m. at �鶹avӳ����ý chapel in Murchison Gym.

Jennifer Ito, �鶹avӳ����ý assistant professor of physics, explores exciting new developments in astrophysics in a �鶹avӳ����ý Downtown Lecture, “Asteroids and Exoplanets: How Scientists Are Exploring Our Universe,” on Thursday, Oct. 12, at 5:30 p.m. at the , 631 Garden Street, in downtown Santa Barbara.

�鶹avӳ����ý presents “Godspell,” one of the most popular musicals of all time, on Oct. 12-15 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. in �鶹avӳ����ý’s Porter Theatre. Music and theater students join together to stage a production for the first time since 2019. Tickets, which cost $20 for general admission and $12 for students and seniors, are available online at westmont.edu/boxoffice.

The parents of a �鶹avӳ����ý alumna and a current student joined the �鶹avӳ����ý Board of Trustees in May. Mary Barbour, whose daughter, Anna, graduated from �鶹avӳ����ý in 2022, and Marcus ‘Goodie’ Goodloe, whose daughter Hannah is currently a senior and will graduate in spring 2024, look forward to supporting the college’s mission on the board, which oversees the operations of the college.

�鶹avӳ����ý jumped 16 spots in national liberal arts rankings — the college’s largest rise since 2010. For the 19th straight year, �鶹avӳ����ý, ranked at No. 107 (tied), is the number one Christian liberal arts college in the Western U.S.

In a public ceremony replete with orchestral and choral music, will be installed as the Adams professor of music and worship Friday, Sept. 29, at 10:30 a.m. in Murchison Gym. The formal ceremony serves as a prelude to a day of public events that include a keynote address and chamber concert.

For the first time in more than a decade, undergraduate students assisted with research at the , a set of three telescopes in the in Chile at an elevation of about 17,000 feet.

�鶹avӳ����ý music faculty take the stage for the Fall Faculty Recital on Friday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. in Deane Chapel. The performance is free and open to the public.

The recital features Music Director Ruth Lin (piano), Adelle Rodkey (oboe), Christina Ramsey (mezzo-soprano), Erin Bonski-Evans (piano), Egle Januleviciute (piano) and Cam Audras (viola).