Antioch University Santa Barbara

Community colleges change lives, and we’re proud to celebrate alongside those doing that work every day.

Tonight, members of the Antioch University community are joining the Santa Barbara City College Foundation for the 2026 Spring Forward! Gala. This year, themed “Speakeasy Style,” brings a little 1920s flair to an evening centered on opportunity, access, and student success.

We’re grateful that Jessica, Jodi, Elide, Gerard, Stephanie, and Susan were there to represent and support the important work made possible by this event.

Higher education is strongest when institutions come together in support of students and their futures. Cheers to an evening of community, connection, and impact.

In 2017, there was little research into the Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) and their social effects on the gaming community.

Dustin Weissman, a graduate of the PsyD in Clinical Psychology program, explored online gaming and social ramifications during that time period through his dissertation “Impacts of Playing Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) an Individuals' Subjective Sense of Feeling Connected with Others.”

“It is important for the well-being of the entire international gaming community that this genre is researched and understood,” writes Dustin. “The goal of this paper was to incorporate that research, expand upon it, and include an exploration of the social realm of gamers.”

Read the full dissertation here: https://aura.antioch.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=psydcpsb

It's a beautiful Monday in Santa Barbara 🌞

A reminder for .

If you need support, you can contact the Santa Barbara County Department of Behavioral Wellness Crisis and Access Line, 24/7 at (888) 868-1649.

If you’re seeking services beyond Santa Barbara, you can text 988 for more support and resources.

: Access to mental health care is a right, not a privilege.

In this episode of the Seed Field podcast, we take a look back at conversations with mental health professionals at Antioch, and how they have used their work to address social injustices in our society. Whether it is helping us confront our unconscious biases, advocating for culturally responsive therapy practices, or creating more accessibility to these professions, Antiochians are continuing to break boundaries and push their field in the direction of justice.

Big Idea: Mental Health Justice at Antioch - Common Thread Access to mental health care should be a right, not a privilege. In this Big Idea episode, we take a look back at conversations with mental health professionals at Antioch, and how they have used their work to address social injustices in our society. W...

We’re grateful for campus views like this 🩵

Something about those Santa Barbara skies… Where’s your favorite spot on campus to catch the golden hour?

In 2025, we sat down with MFA in Creative Writing alum Dara Padwo-Audick, to talk about her first full-length play, Onion Skin. Drawing on her experiences as a skin cancer survivor, as a caregiver for her parents, and as a young single mother, the play is a dark comedy following the journeys of four people facing different stages of skin cancer.

“If I hadn’t been to Antioch, I wouldn’t have had the courage to actually write something like this and try to get it produced,” said Dara.

Read the full profile on Dara’s experiences at Antioch and how Onion Skin became her graduate thesis here:

Mid-Career MFA Leads a Documentarian Back to Fiction--and to the Stage - Common Thread In April of 2023, the playwright and documentarian Dara Padwo-Audick made an ambitious request: that her community give $20,000 to underwrite staging her play, Onion Skin, as part of the Capital Fringe Festival. She explained to potential backers that O...

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

According to the NSVRC, nationwide, 81 percent of women and 43 percent of men reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime. LGBTQ+ individuals face significantly higher rates of sexual assault compared to the general population, with bisexual women and transgender individuals experiencing the highest risk, reports the Trevor Project. Nearly 80 percent of bisexual women, 60 percent of le****ns, and 60 percent of gay men report lifetime contact sexual violence.

Prevention and education are the primary ways we can reduce sexual assault and provide support for victims of sexual assault. This includes advocating for policy and justice in our legislation. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, text HOPE to 64673.