President Schilling’s Board Report for November 26, 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 November 26, 2019
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! The college is in end-of-the-semester mode and looking forward to seeing our students succeed. Spring enrollment has also begun and although it’s very early in the registration process, enrollments are slightly up from last year.
Campus News
Cypress College has been selected by the CCCCO, the Foundation for California Community Colleges and the California Department of Social Services as a pilot school to provide free legal services to our undocumented students and neighboring communities. We will be contracting with CHIRLA, to provide legal services to students, with the intent to begin during the spring 2020 semester. This new service will further enhance our Grads to Be Program for undocumented students by providing additional resources and support. Sixty-four campuses across the state were selected and we will serve the students of multiple community colleges in our area, including Fullerton College and NOCE.
The retrospective of Sergio O’Cadiz-Moctezuma’s work has ended its run and there has been a renewed interest in his work, thanks to this unique and special gallery show. The following link appeared in Voice of Orange County, one of many articles that were written about his work since the exhibition opened. I want to thank Janet Owens-Driggs, our CCAG curator, for her exceptional show and for educating our campus about the significance of the Library Mural on our campus, its importance in Orange County, and for highlighting Mr. Moctezuma’s work.
On November 7, the college hosted its 3rd Annual Transfer/Pre-Graduation Fair. More than 400 students participated in this event, taking advantage of the opportunity to meet with recruiters from four-year colleges and universities. Thank you to our excellent Transfer Center staff, led by Rebeca Laveaga, Peter Maharaj, and his IT team for integrating our mobile app with registration and providing an easy interface for students to get more information about the colleges via our app.
The Foundation held its Annual Golf Classic at Los Coyotes Country Club, raising $80,000 to fund student scholarships, book grants/loans, faculty grants, and more. This was an all-time record for this event and we are grateful to our community for their generosity. There were 168 participants, including a member of the LPA foursome who shot a hole-in-one and won a new vehicle. Special thanks to Fullerton College President, Greg Schultz, Gill Contreras, and Rod Garcia for joining us, as well as Vice Chancellor Fred Williams, and Cypress VPs, Paul de Dios and Alex Porter. This year, for the first time ever, one of the LPA foursome hit a hole in one on the 7th green, winning a Jeep for his efforts. Thank you to Howard Kummerman and his team for a successful tournament!
Cypress College’s Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Program passed a reaccreditation visit by HVAC Excellence on October 3, ensuring its accreditation for six more years. HVAC Excellence, which sets educational program standards and verifies their fulfillment, toured the AC&R facilities and reviewed program curriculum. Congratulations to faculty members Richard Hock, Carlos Urquidi, Doug Sallade, and Dean Kathleen Reiland for setting the bar high for our students.
Our Cypress fall semester dance concert was held on November 22-24 and featured new choreography by Cypress College Dance Department faculty and students, as well as guest artists. The event was directed by Department Chair Maha Afra.
Our Professional Development team held the Cypress College Equity Walk on November 15 from 10 a.m.–1 p.m., and 20 people participated from Cypress, Fullerton, and Compton colleges to experience the campus from an equity lens. Modeled after the activity first introduced at the CUE workshop last year (and implemented last spring at Fullerton College) each participant was provided with a student profile and then explored the campus with specific objectives, before reporting back on their experience. Thank you to Ruth Gutierrez and Michael Brydges for organizing this event.
Also on November 15, Dr. Reiland and Dr. Schilling presented at the CCCO Intersegmental Pathways Symposium in Bakersfield. This convening welcomed over 400 participants, including K12, CSU, UC, and legislative representatives, to discuss the important pathway connections between all segments of education. Our presentation featured our work on Program Mapper and Program Finder.
The Business and Marketing Department held their fall semester Shark Tank competition on November 19. Seven teams participated including a team from AUHSD, competing for prizes and the option to have their innovation funded. Five professional judges from across OC industry helped provided input. David Patrick, a real Shark Tank contestant (and inventor of the shark wheel) was also a judge. The entrepreneurial innovations presented by our students were amazing!
November 18-22 was Homelessness Awareness Week. The campus participated in the OC United Way “myths and facts about homelessness” campaign via social media. Each day of the week we shared one myth about homelessness, as well as information about our own students. Thank you to Marc Posner and his team for implementing this educational awareness campaign.
Our Associated Students are hosting a “Friendsgiving” event on November 27. Last year’s event provided a free meal to over 300 students. Turkeys for this event were donated by Foundation Board member Ken Vecherelli and Golden State Water. Thank you to our students for this great event!
Please don’t forget to save December 5 for the Cypress College Holiday Reception. Held in our theater lobby from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., this event will feature a holiday dinner for employees, courtesy of Schools First, a Christmas decorating contest, a sing for your supper competition and for everyone who brings an item for our food pantry, your name will be entered in a raffle drawing. Please join us in our celebration of the holidays.
As we continue momentum on our Title V Grant, the college will be conducting two information sessions for faculty interested in serving as peer mentor coaches or data coaches – both integral roles in our completion teams. These events will be held on Dec 5 at 3pm and December 13 at 1pm. In addition, a Civitas training was held on November 22 to support evidence based decision-making and through the Civitas dashboards. If you would like to know more about this grant, please feel free to join us.
We are sad to announce that long time Cypress College Foundation Board member, Walt Bowman, passed away unexpectedly on November 17. Walt has been a Foundation Board member since 1993, as well as an Americana Citizen of the Year, Cypress City Council member, and a Foundation Legacy member with his wife, Ethel. He has been a pillar of the Cypress community for decades and will be deeply missed.
That’s the Board Report from Cypress College. Buen Cypress!