President Schilling’s Board Report for June 11, 2019
The following is a report to members of the North Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees.
Presented by Cypress College President JoAnna Schilling, Ph.D.
on June 11, 2019
While the end of the semester doesn’t mean a slow-down in operations, our final academic celebrations are coming to an end. It has been a joy to see our students succeed and to witness our degrees and certificates increase to historic highs. While we still have so much to do, we want to pause for a moment and celebrate the accomplishments of so many. It has been our pleasure to serve our students and to embrace the good news in the 2018-19 academic year!
Campus News
STEM(2) Transfer Celebration: On May 31, we held our annual transfer celebration for our STEM scholars who are transferring to a 4-year institution. 48 scholars are transferring, 26 scholars received over 50 Foundation scholarships this year, and 39 scholars have been accepted into prestigious summer research programs. In addition, graduate Minh Nguyen was selected as the Orange County American Chemical Society Outstanding graduate – the third year in a row that this award has gone to a Cypress College student! We are so proud of this important program developed to serve and support underrepresented students in the STEM fields. Thank you to Director, Yanet Garcia, Program Coordinator Rosa Mejia and Dean Dr. Richard Fee for setting a standard of excellence that our students reach and exceed each year.
Toyota T-TEN Graduation – On May 31, we celebrated the graduation of 12 newly completed T-TEN graduates with their friends, families, and instructors. All of these graduates have received between 2-8 master certificates. Instructors Michael Klyde and Paul Kelly require all students to complete at least two master maintenance certificates, which is no minor accomplishment. Because of this commitment to excellence, the Cypress College T-TEN program was again the top producer of T-TEN degrees in the country.
On May 16, 2019 the Cypress College Veterans Resource Center received a $12,500 donation to support costs to support a Veteran Student Leadership Retreat that will be led by our Veterans Counselor/ Coordinator, Juan Garcia, and Student Services Dean, Dr. Richard Rams in early fall 2019.
Executive Retreat – On June 3, we held our first executive planning retreat as the kick off to goal-setting and a new planning and resource process at the college. The purpose was to come together as a new team, and identify executive-level planning and budget priorities for the college. The next step in this process is to build upon these priorities at our managers retreat in August, add to these plans through the program review and learning outcomes processes in the fall, and conduct an all-college Strategic Vison Planning retreat in spring 2020.
Faculty Hiring: The College has completed the hiring of 21 of the 25 new faculty. The level of commitment to equity and student success all our selected faculty have exhibited has been impressive, and we are looking forward to welcoming all new faculty to the campus in August. Each faculty member will be encouraged to participate in the District-wide new faculty development program, and will have a mentor identified to assist them with their own personal and professional transition to the college and their department.
In May, the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) completed an on-site visit for the Nursing Program. There were no issues of non-compliance and many commendations for our program. The formal approval of the program will take place in August and September. In addition, our Nursing program was recently identified as 37th in the entire state of California which includes over 950 2-year, 4-year and private nursing programs across the state.
We are pleased to announce that 14 of the 21 Dental Assisting graduating students already earned job offers in the area before graduation. The Dental Assisting program earned a bronze star from the state’s Strong Workforce Program this past year, and we are proud these job offers demonstrate that our graduating students are well-prepared and quickly employable upon completion of this program.
In further good news for our Health Sciences, on May 17, at the California Dental Hygienists’ Association Spring Scientific Session, our students entered an educational poster competition to discuss an area of research on Dental Hygiene. Among 25 small group entrants from various Associate and Baccalaureate DH programs, the Cypress College Dental Hygiene students took first and second place in their respective competitions, receiving a $1000 award for the first place team and the second place received $500. Congratulations to our hard-working teams!
Cypress College sent 15 staff and faculty and 4 students to the National Conference on Racial Equality (NCORE) in Portland, Oregon last week. This annual conference, focused on the institutional challenges educators face in creating equitable spaces for students and employees, will help us expand upon our campus priorities to become an equity-minded institution. I am grateful for the dedication and commitment from our employees, and the District, to support attendance at this important conference.
On June 6, Cypress College will be hosting our Classified Appreciation Luncheon. This annual tradition includes raffle prizes donated by our managers, a catered luncheon, and an opportunity to salute and celebrate our amazing classified staff who work hard all year to support our students, our campus, and our facilities. Thank you to all our classified service personnel.
On June 17-20, Cypress will host its second annual Camp Cypress for the Cypress Boys and Girls Club. This academic-focused camp features four days of stimulating fun and academic adventure for middle and early high school students. Activities such as science experiments, college-knowledge scavenger hunts, brain games, and physical activities such as hip hop dance, soccer camp, a basketball clinic, and fitness competitions, are featured for 50-60 youngsters. The goal of Camp Cypress is to help potential first generation students experience college and demystify the obstacles to attending college. Thank you to our academic deans, faculty, and to VPSS Paul de Dios and Student Services Specialist, Liliana Huerta, for organizing this fun week and partnership between Cypress College and the BGCC!
Now is your chance to begin plans to join us at Angel Stadium for the first-ever Cypress College Angel Night on September 26. This game will occur during the last week of the regular season with the division rival Houston Astros. Your $25 purchase includes field level seats, a collectors-edition Cypress College Angels baseball hat, and fun with your favorite Cypress colleagues. Please join us for this great evening. Tickets are available online or at our Bursars Office on campus.
That’s our Board Report from Cypress College. Buen Cypress!