President Schilling’s Board Report for August 27, 2019
The following is a report to the North Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees.
Presented by Cypress College President JoAnna Schilling, Ph.D.
on August 27, 2019
Fall enrollment is well under way and the college is showing positive growth, despite the challenges posed by our construction projects. Currently, with the beginning of the semester upon us, we are showing a slight increase, with fewer sections. This means our fill rates are stronger and our classes are focused on student need. Our communications office has been busy sending nudges to our students about enrollment dates, reminders on open classes, and encouraging them to meet with their counselors. We are excited to welcome our students back for the academic year!
Campus News
Opening Day was held on Friday, August 23. We appreciate those who were able to attend from the District Office, NOCE, and our board members. As part of our sustainability efforts, all attendees were provided with a Buen Cypress water bottle and encouraged to use this in lieu of purchasing plastic water bottles. We will also be supplying over 50,000 Buen Cypress granola bars to students during the semester as part of an ongoing Grab and Go campaign in all divisions. The logo message encourages students to access our food pantry, health services, and seek the many resources we have across campus.
Cypress College is thrilled to announce that we have been named the #1 Community College in California in the 2020 Best Community Colleges rankings by Niche.com. Cypress College was also named #1 in 2018. These rankings are based on five rigorous academic rankings, as well as student feedback. See the full rankings.
In other good news, our Ultra Sound Technician Program was ranked #1 in California by NursingProcess.org. Kudos to our fantastic faculty, Lynn Mitts and Michael Frianeza, and the dedicated students in our Ultrasound program for this accolades.
Our Toyota T-Ten Program has been recognized once again as the top school in the United States. Toyota awarded Cypress T-TEN with several awards, including: T-TEN Top School nationwide (#1 among 38 programs across the US); T-TEN ASE Pass Rate (highest pass rate with 6.4 ASE tests passed per student); and T-TEN Graduation (highest # of graduates: we had 17 this year). Congratulations to faculty Michael Klyde and Paul Kelley for their efforts in keeping the Cypress T-TEN a premiere program in the country.
Our Nursing students had a 91% passing rate on their NCLEX exams this year. 81 of 89 nursing students passed on their first attempt. We are very proud of these outstanding results and thank interim nursing director, Denise Bernstein, and our nursing faculty for their leadership, dedication, and support of our students.
Cypress College will be featured on Spectrum News 1 on Thursday, August 22. The feature includes the expansion of our food pantry, the District partnership with Pathways of Hope, and a feature on Legacy and Guardian Scholar, Kenyun Rone, a young man who has struggled with homelessness and food insecurity in his determined effort to complete his education. Kenyun is transferring this month to Cal State Dominguez Hills after completing his psychology degree at Cypress College. The feature will be replayed throughout the month on Spectrum News 1. View the clip.
Dr. Schilling posted the first of three welcome message videos to all students on social media on Sunday night. The next video will be posted during mid-terms and the final video will be a holiday/end of the semester message. Our goal at Cypress College is to create a warm welcome and reassure our students that we are invested in their success and safety.
Dr. Schilling, Dr. Hua, and Mike Matsuda, Superintendent of AUHSD, attended the Planet P-Tech Conference, hosted by IBM, in New York City on August 19-20. IBM has been collaborating with various community colleges on the east coast, to create a STEM pathway for underserved students. This rigorous program begins in the 9th grade and culminates in a bachelor’s degree by utilizing a design model focused on programs much like what we have been offering through our Pledge and Promise program. IBM pairs the students with industry mentoring and internship programs. Cypress College was one of six colleges in California to receive a 1.5M grant to implement the P-Tech model on the west coast.
The District, along with our BFSA, will be hosting a professional development event for our black professionals interested in promotion and advancement. This event, on September 20 at Cypress College from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, will feature San Diego Community College president, Ricky Shabazz, and Victor Valley’s Dean of Academic Affairs, Herb English, who will present on opportunities for advancement within the community college system.
Cypress College will host the District event Hostile Terrain, a unique art installation in our Fine Arts building. A reception will be held on September 19 at 6 p.m. after a 3 p.m. documentary showing in the campus theater. It will also coincide with the opening of our art gallery retrospective on Sergio O’Cadiz Moctezuma’s work. Many of this artist’s works, including the iconic mural in the center of the Cypress campus, have been torn down throughout Orange County and the Cypress College mural is one of only a few left in California. This retrospective will commemorate his work for the last 40 years and his importance in the canon of works by LatinX artists. Please join us!
It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Irv Pickler, long-time council member and community leader in Anaheim, as well as father to faculty Scott and Brad Pickler, and uncle to staff member Kirk Pickler. His memorial will held on Saturday, August 24 at Servite High School, in Anaheim at 11 a.m.
That’s our Board Report from Cypress College. Buen Cypress!