President Schilling’s Board Report for April 27, 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 April 27, 2021
We would like to share student survey results, which were sent to spring 2021 Cypress College students to assess their course preferences for fall 2021 and inform return to campus plans. Data collection is ongoing but, as of 4/20, a total of 2,234 students completed the survey and their responses are summarized below.
- What type of classes would you prefer for Fall 2021?
- What is your preferred instruction method for online classes?
- Do you plan to receive the COVID-19 vaccine before Fall 2021?
We are proud to announce the Cypress College 2021 Presidential Scholars of Distinction. They are: Jacklyn Williamson, Business/CIS; Alexandra Camacho, CTE; Ayah Said, Counseling and Student Development; Paul Scott, Fine Arts; Abigail Villegas, Health Science; Jonathan Gad, Kinesiology; Hiroki Funahashi, Language Arts; Lia Thompson, SEM; Wilfred Carrasco, Social Sciences. Each of these scholars were nominated and voted on by the faculty in each division, and represent their respective Academic Pathway. During the commencement, each scholar leads the graduates from their respective divisions during the Commencement Processional. This year, given that we are conducting our commencement virtually, each scholar will be highlighted during the ceremony. Congratulations to these wonderful scholars!
We are also thrilled to announce that Nicolette Garcia, Associated Students President, was named as the Outstanding Graduate of the Year. Nicolette, an Anthropology major who is transferring this year, has been involved in the campus wide DEI and Sustainability efforts, led our Drive-up Food distribution, and has created awareness for DSS innovations at the campus, among so many other initiatives. We look forward to honoring Nicolette at our commencement this year. Congratulations, Nicolette.
The Cypress College Theater Arts Department presented the spring musical EDGES, directed by Professor Jim Hormel, April 16-18. EDGES is a contemporary song-cycle about young adults at the metaphorical edge of their lives. The songs cover such universal issues as love, commitment, identity and meaning. Our students did a terrific job of blending a virtual performance into an ensemble performance. The production was edited by student, Sophia Barajas, who also edited the award-winning 96,000 number last year.
Cypress College held our Strategic Planning Retreat on April 23. Over 100 campus employees attended a virtual convening in order to align our DEI Framework with the District’s Educational and Facilities Master Plan’s Strategic Directions, while prioritizing our own guiding principles, goals, and objectives for the next three years. Thank you to Dr. Eileen Haddad, our interim IRP Director, and Kristina Oganesian, Senior Research Analyst, for leading us through the day. Also special thanks to Gisela Verduzco, Alison Robertson, Ruth Gutierrez, and Michael Brydges for leading the development of our DEI Framework.
Our Foundation undertook an equity audit of the 2019-2020 scholarship recipients in order to help guide our scholarship process this year. Below are the results, which align well with our student population. We are also happy to announce that we more than doubled the number of scholarship applicants this year. Thank you, Howard Kummerman and Rachel Ghatikar for your data-driven processes!
Scholarship Recipients by Ethnicity
| Ethnicity | Scholarship Recipients | |
| n | % | |
| Am. Indian or Alaska Native | 1 | 0.4% |
| Asian or PI | 59 | 23.4% |
| Black | 16 | 6.3% |
| Latinx | 120 | 47.6% |
| White | 48 | 19.0% |
| Not Reported | 8 | 3.2% |
| Overall | 252 | 100.0% |
Scholarship Dollars Received by Ethnicity
| Ethnicity | Scholarship Dollars Received | |
| n | % | |
| Am. Indian or Alaska Native | $300.00 | 0.1% |
| Asian or PI | $52,650.00 | 25.0% |
| Black | $16,100.00 | 7.7% |
| Latinx | $95,880.10 | 45.6% |
| White | $41,098.02 | 19.5% |
| Not Reported | $4,300.00 | 2.0% |
| Overall | $210,328.12 | 100.0% |
Upcoming Events
Commit2Cypress event will be held on April 29 from 4:30-7 p.m. This will be our fourth annual Commit2Cypress event, and each year our numbers grow larger as we welcome our new and incoming Pledge and Promise students. This year Dr. Marshall, Dr. Schilling, and CSUF President Fram Virjee will be signing a ceremonial commitment for our new 2+2+1 accounting pathway with CSUF. This accounting degree will include two years at Cypress, guaranteed admission to CSUF for a baccalaureate degree with an option for a one-year master’s degree from CSUF. Thank you, Dr. Henry Hua, Dr. Catherine Greiner, and our accounting faculty members Ann Sheridan-Solis and Samreen Manjra, for your work on this important collaboration.
The 25th Anniversary Celebration of the Puente Program will be held on April 30 from 6-8 p.m. We hope you will join us!
Buen Cypress, We Take This Journey Together!