President Schilling’s Board Report for March 10, 2020
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 March 10, 2020
In collaboration with NOCE, Cypress College was proud to support a community voting center during the recent election on the NOCE/Cypress campus February 29-March 3. Our volunteers did a great job accommodating all attendees and there was a steady flow of voters all four days. Thank you to our M&O Team for all their efforts, as well as campus safety for opening up parking availability and making sure visitors knew where to go and how to navigate the campus.
Cypress College has been invited to apply to be one of 18 community colleges to participate in the Institute for Evidence Based Change (IEBC) “Caring Campus” initiative for classified staff. If selected as one of the colleges, Cypress will identify up to 30 classified professionals from across the campus to become coaches for their respective areas. The focus of the Caring Campus Initiative will be to empower and support our staff to identify specific behaviors that lead to student engagement and success. If chosen, the college, in partnership with IEBC, will conduct three half days and one full day training for staff beginning this spring through the summer.
Drs. Reiland and Schilling participated in the Intersegmental Pathways Taskforce meeting in Sacramento on February 24, as part of our continued interest in building a connection between the K12 and university systems. The taskforce is composed of CSU, UC, community college, policy, and career partners interested in creating a more robust pipeline for students journeying through the California secondary and postsecondary educational systems. Cypress continues to be the only community college that has implemented both Program Finder (an integration of career programs identified at the high school level and connected to all Orange County community colleges), and Program Mapper (an educational planning tool by degree). The CSU system is looking to begin piloting Program Mapper so, potentially all students could view their pathway from associate’s degree all the way through the baccalaureate degree when they attend Cypress College.
Topping Off Ceremony: Tuesday, February 25, Cypress College recognized the topping off of the new Science, Engineering, & Mathematics building, with the placement of the final steel beam of the new structure. College and project officials, construction personnel, and our SEM division faculty and staff were present for the milestone occasion, and had an opportunity to sign the final beam before its installation. Come by to see the progress we are making on this beautiful new facility.
Campus Safety Officers Anne-Marie Valadez, Richard Anaya, and Benjamin Chacon will be awarded the California College and University Police Chiefs Association (CCUPCA) CCUPCA award on April 10, 2020 in Lake Tahoe, for their incredible service to a student in need. In February a student collapsed during a routine gym class; our campus safety officers came to her aid and helped keep her stabilized until the paramedics arrived. Their quick action undoubtedly saved her life. We are so proud of these three fine individuals and it is gratifying to see them honored for their work.
Charger Sports Update:
- Members of the Men’s Basketball, Softball and Baseball teams supported Miller Elementary School (La Palma) Read Across America effort on February 28, 2020 by reading books and visiting classrooms to support early childhood literacy and reading.
- The Cypress College Baseball team supported Cypress Little League’s Challenger division by partnering in a morning of baseball on Saturday, February 29, 2020.
- Our Women’s Basketball team attempts to punch their ticket to the State Final 8 this Saturday, March 7 at Moorpark College after a thrilling come-from-behind victory at Rio Hondo last Friday, February 28, 2020. Go Chargers!
In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s (creator of Hamilton) first musical, will be gracing the Cypress College Theater March 6-7 and March 13-14 at 7 p.m. and March 8 and 15 at 4 p.m. The musical, which ran on Broadway 2008-2011, chronicles three days in the lives of the residents of Washington Heights, NY.
Our annual High School Counseling Breakfast was held on Tuesday March 3 in our Campus Theater. Lead by Dr. Flor Huerta, our Interim Dean of Counseling, the college hosted over 100 counselors for middle and high school to hear presentations on dual enrollment, our new Program Finder software, and engage in the important programs that Cypress has to offer. Thank you to our Student services team for a great informational morning.
Cypress joined with our sister campuses, Fullerton College and NOCE, to attend and sponsor the A2Mend Conference on March 5-6 at the LAX Hyatt Regency. On the evening of March 4, our own Dr. Greg Schultz was honored with the Educational Leadership Award for his exemplary advocacy, mentorship, and support for African American males. We are so proud of Greg and fortunate to work with and support him! Congratulations, Greg!
In partnership with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, and the Student Equity and Achievement (SEA), our Disability Support Services (DSS) invited LeDerick Horne to present at Cypress College on March 5 at 2 p.m. in our Campus Theater. LeDerick was diagnosed with a learning disability in the third grade, but defied those who tried to limit him to become a spoken word poet, inspirational speaker, and advocate for those with disabilities. What a great presentation!
Cypress College’s 24th Kindercaminata took place on February 28. We welcomed over 800 kindergartners from our local schools to our Gateway Plaza from 8:30-11:30 a.m. for activities, introductions to age-appropriate academic fun, and other surprises to engage these young scholars in a college-going future.
Our 45th Americana Award Ceremony was held on February 29 at the Disneyland Hotel. Thank you to Trustees Brown, Dunsheath, Bent, and Blount for joining us, as well as our Chancellor and staff. Our Executive Director, Howard Kummerman, and his team put on a fabulous event, raising more than $300,000 in scholarships for our students. We are grateful to all of our volunteers, staff, and our student ambassadors for their support. We hope you will also mark May 14 on your calendars for our annual Foundation Scholarship Awards Ceremony, when we get to give away all the funding raised last week at Americana. Thanks for your support!
Chief Rod Cox, long time police chief of Cypress, and friend to our campus, will be retiring. His retirement ceremony will be held on March 13 from 4-6 p.m. at the Cypress Community Center. We hope you will be able to join us.
That’s the Board Report from Cypress College. Buen Cypress!