When was Westmont College founded and by whom?
Ruth Kerr established the school as the Bible Missionary Institute in 1937. Wallace Emerson became the first president in 1940 and renamed the institution Westmont College.
Questions about Westmont College
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Where is Westmont College located and when did it move there?
Westmont College resides in the hills of Montecito, California. The college purchased land at El Tejado and moved to the Santa Barbara area in the fall of 1945.
What major fires damaged the Westmont campus and when did they occur?
Campus buildings were burned in fires on the 22nd of September 1964, the 26th of July 1977, and the 13th of November 2008. These events included the Coyote Fire, Sycamore Canyon Fire, and Tea Fire which destroyed structures like Catherwood Hall.
How many majors does Westmont College offer and what is its student faculty ratio?
Westmont offers 26 majors and maintains a student/faculty ratio of 12 to 1. The average class size is 18 students with ninety-six percent of tenured and tenure-track faculty holding terminal degrees.
Why was Westmont College exempt from certain sections of Title IX in May 2023?
Westmont president Gaylee Bebee sent a letter to the United States Department of Education seeking assurance that the school could legally discriminate against students on the basis of sexual orientation. This policy forbids gay marriage and all sex or intimacy outside of heterosexual marriage.
When did Westmont College join Division II and which conference do they compete in now?
The college joined the Pacific West Conference effective beginning the 2023, 24 academic year after being accepted into the multi-year membership process for Division II on the 14th of July 2022. Westmont competes in 15 intercollegiate varsity sports including baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.