President Schilling’s Board Report for January 26, 2021
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 January 26, 2021
As we begin the spring 2021 semester, the college continues to have enrollment challenges. Currently the college is trending down about 6%; a current statewide enrollment report shows Cypress trending above other colleges in our area, but we remain concerned about losing any of our students. Before the end of the fall semester, our Institutional Research Program, led by Dr. Eileen Haddad, sent out a survey to all students, asking the question What can we do to better support you? A total of 864 students responded to the survey, and 363 students provided an open-ended response. Here’s a brief snapshot of responses:
Most students plan to re-enroll at Cypress College in spring 2021
- 95% said that they plan to re-enroll at Cypress College in spring 2021 (n = 822)
Most students had an “excellent” or “good” experience with remote instruction this fall—but many students did not
- 53% had an “excellent” or “good” experience (20% excellent; 33% good)
- 28% had an “average” experience
- 19% had a “bad” or “terrible” experience (12% bad; 7% terrible)
Biggest Challenges Reported by Students
- Having a quiet place to do their school work (45%; n = 386)
- Financial difficulties (34%; n = 294)
- Reliable internet (30%; n = 260)
- Accessing academic support services (30%; n = 258)
- Other (18%; n = 153) (e.g., mental health, instructor-related, engagement)
We are continuing our Cypress Cares Campaign with our student ambassadors, who have been, and will continue calling all students throughout the semester to help keep them on track, offer encouragement, and provide resources.
The Guided Pathways Workgroup offered Adjunct Learning Day on Wednesday, January 20, 2021 from 9 – 3:30. This event provided an opportunity for attendees to learn about current initiatives being implemented under Guided Pathways, connect with other adjunct faculty, learn more about the leadership of the college, find ways to have the adjunct voice included, and enhance their knowledge of how to connect students with support services at Cypress College. Thank you to our Guided Pathways team for offering this impactful day on behalf of our adjunct faculty.
Dr. Frank Harris was a guest speaker at the dean’s retreat on January 8, and provided a two-hour workshop on the importance of having difficult discussions about race across our campus. Dr. Harris will also be attending the Student Services Kickoff on February 11 to discuss bridging the digital divide exposed in our current remote environment. Thank you to VPs Dr. Douglas and Dr. De Dios for planning these events and leading your respective teams!
Thank you to those who were able to join us for our virtual Opening Day on Friday, January 22. Marc Posner and his team created an interview-type pre-show, focusing on conversations with new VP, Lee Douglas, a chat with Juan Garcia and Howard Kummerman about our Veterans fundraising campaign, and a conversation with Janet Owens Driggs on the recent gallery show Pic n Mix. Opening Day featured a presentation from our Guided Pathways Completion Teams and Caring Campus leaders on how Cypress College is moving forward and grounding our Guided Pathways in Equity. It was great to have our campus community together again, even in this virtual space.
As a result of the College’s participation in the Community College Equity Leadership Alliance this fall, several of our teams have been busy putting together projects to share with the campus. On FLEX Day, one team led two FLEX workshops on Understanding and Confronting Anti-Black Racism, detailing the work being done currently at Cypress, and the work that still needs to be done to create a socially just and anti-racist environment. Another team created an Implicit Bias tool which was presented in all division meetings on Opening Day. Thank you to all our teams for sharing their work to benefit their colleagues across the campus.
Also, on FLEX Day, the keynote speaker for both Cypress and Fullerton Colleges was Joe Feldman, author of Grading for Equity, and his colleague Dr. Shantha Smith, who shared compelling reasons for re-looking at how students are graded, with suggestions for how faculty might implement grading practices that improve student achievement and make their classrooms more equitable. And speaking of making classrooms more equitable, Cypress just completed a three-day Curriculum Equity audit with 15 full time faculty members. This review included looking at courses and syllabi through an equity lens. Thank you to curriculum chair, Silvie Grote, and VP Lee Douglas for bringing colleagues from LBCC to lead this important workshop.
Cypress College’s Toyota T-TEN program was again recognized for having the highest number of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certifications per student nationwide for the second year in a row! As a result of this recognition, the college was awarded a Techstream Award and $8,000 for the program in honor of this achievement. Congratulations to faculty Michael Klyde and Paul Kelly, for their commitment to, and outstanding leadership of, the Cypress College Toyota T-TEN Program.
Cypress In The News: Cypress was mentioned again in Superintendent Mike Matsuda’s article in Working Nation, highlighting the importance of preparing high school and college students for life after college and how Cypress College is working closely with AUHSD to create these essential pathway opportunities. Read this article featuring Cypress College student Andres Licea who came to Cypress from Savanna High School with a full year of college credit completed and is now an active Pledge mentor to other students. Andres has an inspiring story of how he is building a brighter future for himself and others through education.
Drs. Dunsheath, Contreras, and De Dios participated in a panel discussion at the CCLC new Trustee workshop on January 20, focusing on post-pandemic possibilities, challenges, and innovative practices that have emerged from the abrupt move to distance education stemming from COVID-19. The presentation, Navigating the New Normal: Innovative Practices and Challenges as Colleges Move to Distance Education reflected innovations and strategies at NOCCCD to provide effective student services while ensuring equity for our students.
The Wheelhouse Institute, part of the UC Davis research office, recently issued a report on the ten-year progress of Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT) across the state. If you wish to read the full report, it is linked here. The next page provides an overview of the Cypress ADT progress for the past five years.
Buen Cypress! We Take This Journey Together!
Associate Degree for Transfer (ADTs) Data Trends
Cypress College currently offers 36 Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) programs. In 2019-20, the College awarded 918 ADTs across 29 of these programs. Below is an historical overview of ADTs awarded overall, by ethnicity, and transfer rate in the past five years.