President Schilling’s Board Report for July 26, 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 July 26, 2022
Opening Day is just around the corner. On August 19, we plan to hold our first in-person Opening Day since spring 2020, but will also be live-streaming the event for those who wish to view the presentation remotely. We look forward to welcoming faculty and staff with a morning breakfast, all-campus luncheon, and, in addition to the morning festivities, live demonstrations in our new Immersive Digital Classroom (IDC) in the new SEM building. Please join us if you can!
The Cypress College managers held our annual Managers Retreat on July 18. We started the morning with introducing our new managers to their colleagues, as well as some friendly team competition. In the afternoon we spent time discussing plans for implementing a flexible work schedule that supports students, staff, and faculty, as well as related topics on budget, construction, and enrollment. It was a great day together, reminding us all that human connection is integral to creativity and problem solving. Thank you to our managers for attending with open hearts, minds, and care for one another.
Cypress College is proud to announce that the Community College Facility Coalition (CCFC) will be honoring our Veterans Resources Center, Memorial Plaza, and Student Life & Leadership Center with an Award of Merit in the Modernization category at the 2022 CCFC Professional Design Awards. Dr. Schilling will attend the awards ceremony on September 8 along with our partner, LPA Design. In addition, Dr. Schilling will be joining LPA for an afternoon panel discussion on the benefits of wellness and how the VRC and SLL were designed to address the whole student experience. We are proud of the Board’s support of our new facilities and the recognition this new building has brought to our campus. Congratulations to all!
Students, professors, staff, and administrators came together to celebrate the Juneteenth holiday on June 15. Remarks by Chancellor Breland, Dr. Schilling, Dr. Davis, Dr. Booze, Dr. Reiland, and Dr. Vakil provided a contextual framework for this holiday and established the tone for this historical celebration. Much appreciation to Professor Virgil Adams for facilitating the event, to Professor Regina Rhymes for organizing the event, to Temperence Dowdle for the excellent food, and to Professor Ardeshir Ghaffar for recognizing the outstanding Math Scholars in the Cypress College Legacy Summer Bridge Program.
Theater Arts student Kammy Ibarra has been accepted into New York’s prestigious Circle in the Square. This acting school is the only accredited conservatory on Broadway and students participate in Broadway productions. Notable graduates of this academy include Benicio Del Toro, Lady Gaga, the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Tony-winner Idina Menzel. Congratulations to Kammy for her acceptance into one of the premier conservatories in the country.
In other news for our Theater Arts program, Cypress alum, Theo Abdelmeseh, competed his certificate in Technical Theater in spring ’21, and is now serving as audio engineer on the national tour of The Masked Singer. Congratulations, Theo! Our theater graduates are taking their place in the industry and we are so proud of them.
We are also happy to showcase the excellent academic performance of our student athletes. Thank you to Dean of Kinesiology Colin Preston for compiling this important information on the success of our athletes. Please see below for the results of this past spring:
- 954: Spring 2022 Cumulative GPA
- 29: Earned President’s List
- 98: Earned Dean’s List
- 17: Earned 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: 321 GPA
- Women’s Swimming: 517 GPA
Congratulations to all our student athletes for their efforts on and off the field.
Cypress is participating in the NASA on Campus program this summer and 37 (STEM)2 Scholars passed the first part of the online course curriculum; they have been invited to participate in a robotics competition, which will take place on the Cypress College campus from August 1 to August 4. During the four days of the competition, the college will host a variety of speakers, pair students with mentors, and provide a tour of CSU Long Beach and the Department of Water and Power facility in Fountain Valley. Dr. De Dios will be providing the welcome remarks throughout the week and Assembly member Sharon Quirk-Silva and Dr. Schilling will be in attendance on Thursday, August 4 to distribute Certificates of Achievement to our (STEM)2 Scholars. Thank you, Yanet Padilla and our entire (STEM)2 team for continuing to support and challenge our students with new opportunities in the STEM fields.
The City of Cypress kicked off its 3rd Annual Salute to America Independence Day celebration on July 1 by welcoming over 3000 people to the Cypress College campus. The college and city received multiple press accolades including this FOX 11 video report, as our local community enjoyed music, food, and fireworks.
Cypress College was a table sponsor at the Garden Grove State of the City, held at the Hyatt Regency in Garden Grove on July 13. Ten managers and staff enjoyed a great lunch and celebration of the Garden Grove community.
Save the Date! Don’t miss Cypress College night at Dodger Stadium on September 24. The Dodgers play the St. Louis Cardinals and 75 attendees will be selected for a photo on the field. Tickets go on sale on August 22. Please see the flyer on the following page. We hope you will be able to join us!
Buen Cypress! We Take This Journey Together!