President Schilling’s Board Report for October 22, 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 October 22, 2019
Campus News
Cypress hosted its annual High School Principals and Superintendents Breakfast on October 15 from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Dynamic presentations were provided by our Dual Enrollment team, led by Henry Hua, Stephanie Teer, and Stephanie Flores; Program Finder, the new interactive K12 Crosswalk software led by Kathleen Reiland; and our Pledge/Promise and Connect2Cypress update, led by Paul DeDios, Gisela Verduzco, and Rick Rams. Thanks to our team for the many ways they are making a difference in our students’ lives.
We want to commend Library faculty, Monica Doman, who was approved to represent Cypress College on the statewide Academic Senate (ASCCC) Library and Learning Resources Advisory Committee. We are proud that her work on the Library Service Project (LSP) has provided an opportunity for her to serve on the state advisory board. This appointment gives Cypress College and NOCCCD a voice in policy decisions to assist libraries in the Guided Pathway initiative. Congratulations, Monica!
Cypress continues to have two fall teams still ranked in the Top 10 with Women’s Soccer at #4 and Men’s Soccer at #9. Currently fall teams are 35-14-4 collectively. Go Chargers!
Cypress College continues to innovate with our Mobile App, Cypress Connect. Thanks to Peter Maharaj, and the IT team at Cypress College, we are now able to register students into orientations, our food pantry, and transfer events with a wave of their smart phone. Our IT department has developed a QR code that allows a student to use the app to automatically register. This then allows our staff to develop mailing lists, nudge notifications and other forms of communication with the student who has registered for this event. This is going to allow our teams to communicate more effectively with students in ways they are requesting, as well as save time for students and staff. Pathways of Hope is especially excited to be using this technology in our food pantry. Thank you, Peter and our IT team!
Our Nursing Program recently completed a three-day campus visit from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). The outcome was a recommendation for reaffirmation of accreditation, with several recommendations for improvement. The final approval by ACEN will not be completed until March 2020, but we are confident our program will be reaffirmed. Thanks go to Dean Rebecca Gomez, Nursing Director Terri Wheeler, Interim Nursing Director Denise Bernstein, Associate Nursing Directors, Suzy Smith and Sally McNay, and our outstanding nursing faculty for a successful self-study and the excellence they demonstrate every day in their classrooms.
Cypress College welcomed Senator Ling Ling Chang to our campus on October 16 to visit our Aviation Lab, see the progress of our VRC construction, and to discuss the educational needs of our students. A reporter from Cal Matters in Sacramento joined us and documented our amazing Aviation program. It was a positive and productive visit and we appreciate Senator Chang’s advocacy on behalf of Cypress College and NOCCCD.
On October 8, the college met with Jordanna Gessler, Director of Education at the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, to discuss expanding our Holocaust Education efforts by collaborating with this wonderful Museum. Video testimonials of survivors will be shown in our gallery along with displays of memorabilia and artifacts loaned by LAMOTH. Appreciation goes to Cliff Lester, David Halahmy, Howard Kummerman, and Marc Posner for their work on this project.
On October 17, Cypress College participated in the Great Shakeout at 10:17 am. All students, faculty and staff on campus went through an in-class drill, in preparation for a real emergency. In spring, we will be going through a full evacuation drill, which we are beginning training for now. Thanks to VPSS, Paul de Dios, Campus Safety Director, Ralph Webb, and Director of Communications, Marc Posner for their assistance in this drill.
Our upcoming Foundation Golf Tournament, held on October 21, is sold out. This year we are holding the tournament at Los Coyotes Country Club in Buena Park and they were able to accommodate additional foursomes, which has allowed us to augment support for our annual fundraiser. Thanks to Vice Chancellors, Irma Ramos and Fred Williams, as well as VPAS Alex Porter, and Executive Director Howard Kummerman for their efforts working to increase our sponsors this year.
In the effort to build campus community and get to know one another a little better, the President’s Office is hosting Thirsty Thursdays, which will occur in October, February, April, and July from 4 pm to 5 pm. The first event is coming up on Thursday, October 24 on the 3rd Floor of the CCCPLX Building. All staff are invited to stop by for some hot cider, light hors d’ oeuvres and assorted snacks, supported by the President’s Office. Happy Thursdays!
Dr. Marshall, Trustee Bent, and Dr. Schilling met with representatives of NextFlex a non-profit company who is expanding their K12 partnerships with community colleges as part of our dual enrollment program. Thank you Trustee Bent for you excellent ambassadorship of our colleges!
Upcoming Events:
On November 1, we will be attending the OC Department of Education’s OC Teacher of the Year event at the Disneyland Hotel. This year, Cypress College will be honoring adjunct English professor, Alyssa Gorman, as our awardee. Congratulations, Alyssa!
The District will be conducting a Free Speech Forum on the Cypress campus on November 18 from 2 to 3 pm in our CCCPLX-216 lecture room.
We will be conducting our Title V Kickoff meeting on November 1 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon in the Theater Lobby. At this meeting we will be discussing the funding opportunities, perimeters of the grant, and how to form the critical Completion Teams that are at the center of this grant.
Dr. Marshall, Fred Williams, Cypress VPAS Alex Porter, Dr. Schilling, and Dr. Rick Rams will be meeting with Buena Park city officials again in the effort to partner with the city on affordable housing options for Cypress students. Our next meeting is scheduled for November 4. Dr. Schilling also continues service on the statewide Affordable Housing and Hunger Taskforce. This year’s focus will be on finding affordable housing options for our students across the state, while expanding the CalFresh options at our campuses.
And that’s our board report. Buen Cypress. We Take This Journey Together!