Westmont College
Ruth Kerr, owner and CEO of the Kerr Glass Manufacturing Company, established the school as the Bible Missionary Institute in 1937 on the former Westlake School for Girls campus near Downtown Los Angeles. Wallace Emerson became the first president in 1940 and renamed the institution Westmont College. He derived the name from a college in the west and in the mountains to reflect his vision of a Christian liberal arts college that would take its place among the best in the nation. By 1944, the growing student body had outgrown their facilities in Los Angeles. A failed attempt to move the campus to Altadena occurred in early 1945 before Mrs. Kerr and the trustees found El Tejado. This property was the former Dwight Murphy estate located in Montecito. The college purchased this land and moved to the Santa Barbara area in the fall of 1945.
The campus resides in the hills of Montecito and features rolling terrain, gardens, and trees. A small creek runs through the grounds, often dry during summer and autumn months but typically full during rainy spring months. It has even flooded campus buildings during El Niño years. The grounds still feature pathways, stone bridges, and garden atmosphere typical of Montecito. While Westmont sought to preserve original structures, it built new facilities including Voskuyl Library and the restored Westmont Art Center. In 2008, Westmont broke ground for the construction of Winter Hall for Science and Mathematics and the Adams Center for the Visual Arts. In 2006, the college received a gift pledge of $75 million from an anonymous donor. That was the second largest gift ever to a national liberal arts college at the time. In September 2009, Westmont was informed that the donor withdrew the pledged amount. This caused the college to put off construction of two new buildings.
Westmont is located in a high fire area with limited access via narrow winding roads. Campus buildings were burned in fires in 1964, 1977, and 2008. The campus has been threatened or partially damaged by fires on multiple other occasions. The Coyote Fire began on the 22nd of September 1964, in a canyon near the campus. It burned 75,000 acres and over 100 homes. Catherwood Hall, a men's dorm on the Westmont campus, was destroyed during this event. The Sycamore Canyon Fire began on the 26th of July 1977, when a kite blew into power lines. Nearly 200 homes were burned, including several homes of Westmont employees. On the 13th of November 2008, the steep and wooded Westmont campus was heavily damaged in the Tea Fire. Flames were spotted above upper campus around 5:30 p.m. Students were led to Murchison Gymnasium where they remained until the situation outside was safe. Doors and openings were sealed with masking tape to prevent smoke entry.
Westmont offers 26 majors and maintains a student/faculty ratio of 12 to 1. Ninety-six percent of tenured and tenure-track faculty have earned terminal degrees. The average class size is 18 students. Students come from 25 states, 11 countries, and 33 Christian denominations. The four-year graduation rate stands at 87 percent. In 2016, Forbes ranked Westmont No. 236 out of the 660 best private and public colleges and universities in America. Westmont was ranked 108th in the U.S. News & World Report America's Best Colleges 2019 list of liberal arts colleges. The Templeton Foundation has recognized Westmont as one of the nation's top 100 colleges committed to character development. Off-campus programs are an important part of the experience with over 60 percent of students participating in a program at some point in their studies. These programs include the Europe semester, England Semester, and Westmont in Mexico.
Westmont student policy forbids gay marriage and all sex or intimacy outside of heterosexual marriage. Students must agree to avoid homosexual practice which has at times been understood to forbid not only same-sex sexual activity but also coming out of the closet. Alumni have reported to outside media organizations they feared expulsion if their sexuality was discovered. Professors are allegedly forbidden from discussing homosexuality in front of students. There is an official-unofficial group for LGBT students called Gradient. This group meets in secret to maintain confidentiality and is not officially recognized by the school. In May 2023, Westmont president Gaylee Bebee sent a letter to the United States Department of Education seeking assurance that Westmont could legally discriminate against students on the basis of sexual orientation. Westmont is exempt from certain sections of Title IX even though they claim otherwise on their website.
Westmont hosts a popular annual student event Spring Sing held at the Santa Barbara County Bowl or UC Santa Barbara auditorium. This event is a competition between the dorms with eight-minute musical comedy skits. The skits incorporate an average of four or five clips of popular songs with altered original lyrics and original choreography. The lyrics usually change to reflect a humorous progression of the skit's main story. The dorm that wins has bragging rights for the next year. Potter's Clay is a popular ministry program occurring every year in Ensenada, Mexico during spring break. Students interact with the local population and churches to help with construction, Vacation Bible School, and medical work. Westmont maintains six on-campus dorms and one off-campus residence hall. Armington Hall houses the largest number of students on campus at the lowest point. Emerson Hall sits at the top of campus and offers ocean views in many rooms.
The Westmont athletic teams are called the Warriors. The college was primarily competing in the Golden State Athletic Conference since the 1986, 87 academic year while its women's swimming team competed in the Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference. On the 14th of July 2022, Westmont College was notified by the National Collegiate Athletic Association that it had been accepted into the multi-year membership process for Division II. It subsequently joined the Pacific West Conference effective beginning the 2023, 24 academic year. Westmont competes in 15 intercollegiate varsity sports including baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Randy Pfund served as former basketball assistant coach and later became a former Los Angeles Lakers coach. He also worked as a former Miami Heat executive before returning to the college community.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
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.
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.