Westmont College Westmont College , founded in 1937 , is an interdenominational Christian liberal arts college in Santa Barbara , California . History . Ruth Kerr , owner of the Kerr Mason Jar Company , established the school as the Bible Missionary Institute ( 1937 ) , later renamed the Western Bible College ( 1939 ) . During these early years , Ruth and the other founders decided that a liberal arts curriculum was the best direction for the school . In 1940 Dr . Wallace Emerson , the first president , renamed the school Westmont College , named for the fact the school was located at WEST Moreland and VerMONT in Los Angeles , envisioning a Christian liberal arts college that would take its place among the best in the nation . By 1944 , Westmont College had outgrown its facilities in downtown Los Angeles . After a failed attempt to move the campus to Altadena in early 1945 the desperate search for a new campus led Mrs . Kerr and the trustees to the former Dwight Murphy estate in Montecito with its . Westmont purchased this property and moved to the Santa Barbara area in the Fall of 1945 . Set in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains , Westmont ’ s wooded and scenic acres provide an environment for a residential college . The campus includes buildings and land from two former estates and the historic Deane School for Boys . The grounds still feature the pathways , stone bridges , and garden atmosphere typical of Montecito , a suburb of Santa Barbara . While Westmont has sought to preserve and use the original structures , it has also built new facilities , including Voskuyl Library , the restored Westmont Art Center , the A . Nelson Science Building , the Murchison Gymnasium Complex , and the Ruth Kerr Memorial Student Center . In 2008 Westmont broke ground for the construction of the Winter Hall for Science and Mathematics and the Adams Center for the Visual Arts . In 2006 , Westmont received a gift of $ 75 million from an anonymous donor , 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 $ 75 million gift which caused the college to put off construction of two new buildings . In 2008 Westmont and the surrounding Montecito community was devastated by the Tea Fire that burned numerous structures on the campus , including dormitories and faculty housing . Luckily there was no loss of life on the steep and wooded campus which has numerous oaks and eucalyptus trees and semi - arid vegetation . Westmont emphasizes the intellectual , social , and spiritual growth of students . With approximately 1300 undergraduate students , Westmont attempts to provide a rigorous academic program along with a personalized , residential Christian undergraduate experience . Montecito Tea Fire of 2008 . On November 13 , 2008 the campus was heavily damaged in the Montecito Tea Fire , which started in the hills near Montecito . No injuries were reported on the campus . The Physics Lab , Psychology Building , Math Building , and many of the faculty homes were destroyed . The Clark residence hall was severely damaged . Clark units which were severely damaged include F , M , and S . A corner of the roof on G suffered minor damage . The Quonset Huts were also destroyed . Much of the campus ' s foliage and landscaping was burned . Flames were spotted above upper campus around 5 : 30 pm on November 13 . 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 and a ventilation system was activated . The American Red Cross provided blankets and pillows to the hundreds of Westmont students , neighbors , and Preview / Visiting students . In the early morning after the immediate danger had passed , students were allowed to access their cars in certain parking lots and leave the campus . Others remained in the gym until they found a ride off campus . Friends , family , local churches , and other sources provided temporary housing to refugees . Classes resumed December 1 with the semester ending , as originally planned , on December 19 , 2008 . Campus . Westmont College is located a few miles off of U . S . 101 just to the east of Santa Barbara . The city of Santa Barbara is on the central Californian coast and is 100 miles north of Los Angeles and 330 miles south of San Francisco . The campus itself resides in the hills of Montecito and features of hills , gardens , and trees . A small creek runs though the campus . It is often dry during summer and autumn months and typically full during the rainy spring months . It has even flooded campus buildings in El Nino years . The campus has five on - campus dorms . The two freshman dorms are Page and Clark which are located at the upper corners of campus . Armington is at the lowest point on campus , and is usually the sophomore dorm . Emerson ( formerly known as New Dorm and Everest ) , is at the top of campus and has ocean views in many of its rooms . Van Kampen , the most popular dorm for upper - classmen , is located in the center of the campus and was recently renovated and modernized in the summer of 2006 . Some upper classmen students live in the Ocean View Apartments , a college - owned apartment building on the east side of Santa Barbara . The campus was heavily damaged during the Tea Fire in the Montecito hills , though no injuries were reported on the campus . Westmont is located in a high fire area with limited access via narrow winding roads . As a condition of approval of their Master Plan Westmont agreed to the controversial “ shelter in place ” also called “ stay and defend ” procedure in case of a wildfire . During the fire , students who were on campus were evacuated to the Gymnasium , which was considered fireproof . The Physics Lab , Psychology Building , Math Building , and many of the faculty homes were destroyed . Two of the residence halls in Clark residence hall were severely damaged , along with the RD cottage . With the recovery phase initiated over the weekend , faculty and staff were allowed back on campus November 17 , but the school was scheduled to remain closed to students until December 1 . Academic profile . Westmont is ranked 90th in the " U . S . News & World Report " " America ' s Best Colleges 2013 " list of liberal arts colleges . In 2012 " Forbes " ranked Westmont No . 103 out of the 650 best private and public colleges and universities in America . The Templeton Foundation has recognized Westmont as one of the nation ’ s top 100 colleges committed to character development . Westmont offers 26 majors , including : alternative major , art , biology , chemistry , communication studies , computer science , economics and business , education program , engineering physics , English , history , European studies , kinesiology , liberal studies , mathematics , modern languages ( English , French , German , and Spanish ) , music , philosophy , physical education , physics , political science , psychology , religious studies , social science , sociology / anthropology , and theatre arts . The student / faculty ratio is 12 to 1 ; 96 percent of tenured and tenure - track faculty have earned terminal degrees . The average class size is 18 students . The students come from 25 states , 11 countries , and 33 Christian denominations . The graduation rate in 4 years is 87 percent . The majors are not impacted , therefore students are able to change majors easily . Students aren ' t required to declare their major until the end of their sophomore year so as to graduate on time . The weekly student newspaper is the " Horizon . " It can be found online on its website . Each summer , Westmont hosts a number of summer programs including the Summer Science Program , which teaches astronomy to high school students . The Westmont campus features a 24 - inch telescope . Admissions . For the class of 2015 ( enrolled fall 2011 ) , Westmont received 2 , 319 applications and accepted 1 , 424 ( 61 . 4 % ) . The number enrolling was 332 ; the yield rate ( the percentage of accepted students who enroll ) was 23 . 3 % . Of the 56 % of entering freshmen who submitted class rank , 40 % were in the top 10 % of their high school classes ; 72 % ranked in the top quarter . The middle 50 % range of SAT scores for enrolled freshmen were 540 - 650 for critical reading , 540 - 650 for math , and 540 - 650 for writing . The middle 50 % range ACT Composite score was 23 - 29 . Off - campus programs . Off - campus programs are an important part of the Westmont experience with over 60 percent of students participating in a program at some point in their studies . Westmont offers a number of off - campus programs . These programs are run with a faculty member and include the Europe semester , England Semester , Westmont in Mexico , Westmont in Istanbul , and the San Francisco Urban program . Some students choose to participate in semester exchanges at one of the colleges in the Christian College Consortium , such as Gordon College , Houghton College , Seattle Pacific University , and Wheaton College ( IL ) . Additionally , many students participate in other qualifying programs , including semesters in New Zealand , Belize , Washington DC , Chile , Italy , France , and Lithuania . Students receive transferable credit while they live and study abroad in these different programs . Some students work in internships while they are off campus , and many choose Washington DC or the San Francisco Urban program for this purpose . Student life . Spring Sing . Westmont hosts a popular annual student event entitled " Spring Sing , " which in past years has been 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 dorms are further divided by gender into male and female houses ( with the exception of the Emerson dorm ) . The skits incorporate an average of four or five clips of popular songs with altered original lyrics and original choreography . The lyrics are usually changed to reflect a humorous progression of the skit ' s main story . The dorm that wins has bragging rights for the next year . Past sweepstakes winners have been Page men ( 2012 ) , Van Kampen Men ( 2011 ) and Armington Men ( 2010 ) . Potter ' s Clay . " Potter ' s Clay " is a popular ministry program that occurs every year in Ensenada , Mexico during Westmont ' s spring break . Students interact with the local population and churches to help with construction , Vacation Bible School , and medical work . Student Life Statement . Westmont College , an openly Christian education facility , asks all incoming students , trustees , administrators , faculty , and staff to sign a Community Life Statement . In it a member of the Westmont Community will find a guide regarding what is to be expected of their lifestyle and behavior while at Westmont . While living up to these guidelines might be found difficult , one school administrator explained , " I would say , as with all students , we want to care and love them along the way . " A recent open letter to the college expressed the " doubt , loneliness and fear " that gay , lesbian , bisexual , and transgender students have felt while attending the college . After alumni added their support to the letter , a Westmont representative responded saying , " I would love for us to be a safer place to talk about those questions than we are , " Also pointed out was the school ’ s diversity statement , an excerpt of which reads " Westmont does not tolerate racial , ethnic , religious or gender slurs , or other forms of verbal abuse ; threatening behavior or threatening messages ; the creation of a hostile environment ; or any form of harassment . " The same administrator also stated " We ' re hoping to do a better job of talking to and loving each other and holding true to our scriptural principles . " Athletics . Westmont College teams , nicknamed athletically as the Warriors , are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics ( NAIA ) , primarily competing in the Golden State Athletic Conference ( GSAC ) . Men ' s sports include baseball , basketball , cross country , soccer , tennis and track & field ; while women ' s sports include basketball , cross country , soccer , tennis , track & field and volleyball . The men ' s soccer team won the NAIA national championship in 1972 . The women ' s soccer team has won the NAIA national championships in 1985 , 1999 , 2001 , 2002 , and 2003 . The women ' s tennis team won the NAIA national championship in 1982 . The women ' s basketball team won the NAIA basketball championship in 2013 . Westmont has several club sports . The equestrian polo team was a runner - up in NCAA polo in 2007 to Texas A & M ( 12 - 8 ) and again in 2012 to the University of Virginia ( 23 - 17 ) . They also compete in rugby football , ultimate frisbee , men ' s volleyball and cheerleading .