President Schilling’s Board Report for June 28, 2022
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 June 28, 2022
The summer classes have begun and we are glad to report that our enrollment appears to have stabilized a bit. Currently our fill rates are up by 2%, our FTES enrollment is up 1%, and our headcount is stable with last year. We are actively marketing on KIIS FM, iHeartRadio, calling students to remind them of their enrollment periods for summer and fall, and sharing program successes on social media, among other engagement activities. Online classes make up 30% of our enrollment and are trending higher in fill rates by 84% to 62%. Our students are still enrolling in online or hybrid courses at a higher rate than on campus.
Our athletics teams, along with having an outstanding year on the fields and courts, also led the way in athlete student success. The following shows the academic success from our spring semester:
- 2.9 = Spring 2022 Cumulative GPA
- 29 students earned President’s List
- 69 students earned Dean’s List
- 17 students earned 4.0 GPA
- Teams Over 3.0 Cumulative GPA:
- Men’s Water Polo
- Women’s Water Polo
- Women’s Basketball
- Baseball (Qualifies for CCCAA Spring Sports Scholar-Team)
- Men’s Swimming
- Women’s Swimming
- Softball (Qualifies for CCCAA Spring Sports Scholar-Team)
- Women’s Tennis (Qualifies for CCCAA Spring Sports Scholar-Team)
- Top Team GPAs:
- Baseball: 3.321 GPA
- Women’s Swimming: 3.517 GPA
Congratulations to all our coaches for caring not just about performance on the field, but also encouraging our students to reach for excellence in the classroom! Go Chargers!
Our Health Center continues to find new ways to support our students. This fall the Radical Care Initiative will roll out during Suicide Awareness Month in September. In addition, our veterans and health center staff will team up with the Veteran’s Center Walk of Hope to raise funding for suicide prevention training. We will also be implementing mandatory training for all staff and interested employees on Mental Health First Aid, which will create a collaborative approach to increasing our campus awareness on Mental Health, and a proactive, preventative approach of care.
With college enrollment declining over the past year, Cypress’ Disabilities Support Services (DSS) has ramped up its outreach and high school partnership efforts during fall 2021 and spring 2022. As a result, the program ended the academic year with the highest DSS student enrollment in Cypress College’s history. Disability Support Services (previously known as DSP&S) opened its doors in 1971.
In addition, to support these incoming high schoolers, the Cypress DSS Program is hosting a bridge program, First Steps, a 6-day summer program designed for newly exiting high school students with disabilities. The program introduces students to Cypress College and its services and academic programs. During First Step, students receive individual and group instruction, complete a transfer-level course, participate in hands-on activities, explore assistive technology, tour the campus, and experience other learning opportunities. The program’s goals are to support successful transition from high school to college, promote student engagement, and increase intrinsic motivation to boost learning, development, and college success. DSS will be welcoming 15-20 new Cypress College Chargers with disabilities into its First Steps bridge program this summer from June 28 to July 7.
Dr. Schilling and VPAS Alexander Porter participated in a new LPA Design film about the Cypress SEM and VRC/SAC projects. The content will be influential in how we tell the story of these two projects, how they evolved and were shaped by students and employee needs, and our philosophy for a campus building perspective. When the final film is complete, we will be sure to share it with our Board.
The City of Cypress will again be holding its Salute to America Celebration at Cypress College. This celebration will feature food trucks, entertainment, vendors, live music from The Smokin’ Cobras, and a spectacular fireworks display. The event area opens at 5:30 p.m., followed by food and entertainment from 6 – 8:30 p.m., and the fireworks display begins at 9 p.m. Please join us!
Our Radiological Technician Pinning Ceremony was held on June 16. Thirty-two students received their certificates and will now take their place as in-demand Radiological Technicians at hospitals and clinics cross the southland. Congratulations to our students and thank you to faculty members Lynn Mitts, Michael Frianeza, and Barry Siegal for all you do in this nationally ranked program.
Our Toyota T-Ten Program will be holding its graduation ceremony on July 5 at 5:30 p.m. This annual event includes the awarding of all our students completing the T-TEN Program, as well as honoring those who have completed multiple ASE certificates. The Toyota dealers are joining us to celebrate our students’ success and employment with Toyota — usually over 90% of our students are already employed by the time they complete the program at Cypress College! Our T-TEN Program continues to lead the nation in completions and ASE success, and we are grateful and proud of the leadership of faculty members Michael Klyde, Paul Kelley, and their team.
Cypress College participated in the Healthy Minds Survey (HMS) this spring. This survey, from American College Health Association and the Healthy Minds Network has been assisting community colleges to collect mental health data since 2014. We appreciate Marla Mc Bride, Kristin Camacho, and our Health Center staff for administering this important survey on our campus. We are happy to report that almost 1100 students responded, which was a higher response rate than our neighboring colleges. Here is a brief breakdown of results:
- 70% of our students experienced stress/anxiety in last 12 months affecting their academics
- 60% of students prefer to see a Mental Health counselor in person
- 37% considered leaving school this past year due to feeling overwhelmed
- 35% tested positive for COVID
- 26% lost a loved one to COVID or other illnesses
- 22% sought help for grief due to the loss of a loved one
We are assessing this data to help us make changes to better support our students this fall. Mental Health continues to be a priority for the college as we try to encourage our students to engage with us on campus.
Buen Cypress! We Take This Journey Together!