President Schilling’s Board Report for September 13, 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 September 13, 2022
It has been a joy to welcome students back to our campus. We are offering over 55% of classes on campus and students are actively accessing our services, facilities, and resources. In the first two weeks of the semester, we served over 500 breakfasts and 700 lunches daily — over 5,300 meals a week! The Library reported they have given out over 400 Chromebook rentals and fielded over 1,000 reference desk questions in the first two weeks of the semester. Our free laptop support begins now through September for students who receive financial aid, or are affiliated with any of our affinity groups, including Veterans, Legacy, Puente, LIFE, LGBTQIA+, and Charger Experience. Cypress cares for our students.
Continuing our support of students, our Foundation has been actively promoting employee giving opportunities across campus. Recent donor gifts for scholarships and emergency assistance totaled nearly $100,000 since June. Here are some other ways you can support our students!
- Employee Giving Information – Board of trustee members can participate too!
- Cypress College Foundation Golf Classic, Thursday, October 20, 2022 at Black Gold Golf Club. The online auction will be available to everyone prior to the tournament. If you can’t attend, Tee Sponsorships and other support is available.
Our Disabilities Support Services announces the Grand Opening of our ARISE Lab. ARISE is a Cypress and NOCE DSS-sponsored lab, providing educational and wellness support, but all Cypress College and NOCE students are welcome and encouraged to use it. Please mark your calendars for September 12 & 13 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Business Bldg. Room 119 to meet the ARISE team and explore this amazing new space.
Health Science programs continue to shine across the state. Our Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (DMS) Program has been ranked #3 in California as a Top 5 Sonographer and Ultrasound Program and our Dental Hygiene Program also ranked #3 for Dental Hygiene programs in the state by BestUniversities.net. Congratulations to Lynn Mitts and Nancy Corrales of our DMS program and to Kendra Velasco, Diana Tira, Julia Cherney, Roberta Lawrence, and Cherie Gentry in our DH Program!
September is National Suicide Prevention Month. The Health Center and Active Minds are teaming up to bring activities and resources to increase awareness of suicide prevention. Please join us throughout the semester for the following events:
- Tuesday, September 7 from 3-5:30 p.m. “Wake Up” Film Screening with Active Minds guest speaker, Michael Zibilich.
- Wednesday, September 21 from 3:30-5 p.m. – Wellness Wednesday with Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services.
- Wednesday, September 28 at 12 p.m. – Walk of Hope! Join us for a leisurely, fun, lunchtime walk around College Circle Drive to show support for everyone who has experienced a mental health challenge.
We appreciate the following update from Theater Arts. Stayed tuned for updates from Journalism, Fine Arts, and Music.
- Dr. Kellori Dower, Dean of Fine & Performing Arts, is currently meeting with area academic and industry leaders to discuss possibilities of pathways and collaborations with Cypress College to address transfer and community needs.
- Faculty in the division, led by Jennifer McMillin and Donny Jackson, have created a “Recruitment & Marketing” workgroup to help increase our presence in the community and connection with area K12 public and private schools.
- Students and faculty are gearing up for productions of The Rocky Horror Show (October) and Almost Maine (November). Stay tuned for our all new ticketing process to meet the needs of our post-pandemic shut down audience.
- Theater Chair Donny Jackson coordinated lighting for a play called If I Forget directed by Jason Alexander (from Seinfeld) for the Fountain Theatre in Hollywood. Show runs through Sept. 10.
- Musical theater professor Jim Hormel is directing a production of Paragon Springs (starring some of our recent students) at Torrance Theatre Company, which opens October1.
As we highlight our support for our Latinx students this month, I want to share this email recently sent to Yanet Padilla, by one of our (STEM)2 Scholars, Jessica Grifaldo, who went to three community colleges before she enrolled at Cypress and started a remedial math cycle. Now she is entering a doctoral program in Microbiology at UNLV! Read Jessica’s story – My name is Jessica Grifaldo and I am a (STEM)2 alumni who participated in the 2018 Undergraduate Student Initiative for Biomedical Research (USIBR) at UCI. As a first-generation and untraditional college student, I had no idea what research really was and never in my wildest dreams considered that I could pursue such a career. These feelings mostly manifested from my insecurities as I felt like I did not have the intellectual capacity to be a scientist. If I could be honest, I only applied to USIBR because it was a (STEM)2 program requirement to apply to an internship once every semester. But low and behold I was selected for the program. That was my first exposure to research and the lab environment. I am beyond proud to let you know that I will be starting my Ph.D. program in Microbiology at the University of Nevada Las Vegas next week. My interest in research is a product of participating in both the USIBR and the Cypress College (STEM)2 program; these programs have changed my life forever. As a Latina in STEM, I can honestly say we need women like YOU who believe in students before they even believe in themselves. Congratulations, Jessica! We are #CYProud!
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 are $50 and went on sale August 22 through our Foundation webpage. We hope you will be able to join us!
Please join us for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of our new Puente and Legacy centers, located on the first floor of our Humanities Building. These beautiful new spaces have been open since spring but are now being fully utilized with so many more students on campus. Festivities will be held on September 22 from 4-7 p.m. Thank you to our planning team led by Therese Mosqueda-Ponce, Regina Rhymes, Alejandro Omidsalar, Troy Davis, Lela Beck, and Kristi Valdez for planning this special event.
Student Life and Leadership shared Basic Needs information with our campus community, which included resources available from our new Food Pantry and Housing Assistance office.
Buen Cypress! We Take This Journey Together!