President Schilling’s Board Report for September 27, 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 27, 2022
Thank you to all of you who joined 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 were held on Thursday, 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.
Please join us live and in-person for the Cypress College Art Gallery presentation of Hairtage: Tangled, Twisted & Black, which Cypress College Art Gallery hosted online during the pandemic. This in-person event brings together artists who approach Black hair as an apex of tension, affirmation, oppression, and joy. All events take place in the Cypress College Art Gallery. The Opening Reception is on Thursday, September 22, 6–8 p.m. Please join us!
Speaker Series:
- April Bey: Wednesday, September 28, 3-4 p.m.
- Nzuji de Magahaes: Wednesday, October 5, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
- Cedric Adams: Thursday, October 13, 6:30 pm-7:30 p.m.
- Janet Dandridge: Wednesday, October 19, 1-2 p.m.
- Regina Herod: Wednesday, October 26, 7-8 p.m.
- Kimberley Morris: Wednesday, November 2, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
- Sharon Barnes: Monday, November 7, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
More great news from our STEM(2) Program. Director, Yanet Padilla, shared the following:
- Featured Student – STEM Scholar, Diana Phommavanh, was awarded a Travel Scholarship award from the Society of Advancement for Chicanos and Native Americans in STEM (SACNAS) to attend the 2022 NDiSTEM Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, October 27-29, 2022. She will present her work from the Cal-Bridge Summer research 8-week program she participated in at UC Merced this past summer.
- Diana was also selected to attend the HACU Emerging Leaders Summit, which took place in March 2022. Student attendees were able to participate in career development workshops for STEM, learn about securing internship opportunities and meet with professionals from leading corporations.
- Summer Research – This past summer, 30 STEM Scholars completed an 8-week Summer Research program at institutions such as the University of Minnesota, Duluth, Boston University, UC Irvine, Chapman, Cal Poly Pomona, and CSU Fullerton.
- Chapman University Partnership – Chapman University admitted STEM Scholars Chris Lee, Vy Luu, and Adam Sanders to the 2022 SURFEES Research Program. (STEM)² became an approved partner earlier this year for the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Earth and Environmental Sciences (SURFEES). Our students completed the 8-week research program and featured their work on August 3, 2022 at Chapman University. The NSF-REU-sponsored program will annually provide STEM Scholars with the opportunity to engage in faculty-mentored research projects earning them a $4,800 scholarship.
Here’s what you can expect this semester in Fine Arts:
Journalism
- Journalism professor and chair Dr. Michael Coronado graduated with a doctorate in education from USC during the COVID-19 pandemic. The division is very proud of his accomplishments!
Journalism graduates
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- Former Cypress Chronicle Editor-in-Chief Lauren Ramirez is now the News Editor at the Long Beach State 49er newsroom
- Former journalism/public relations student Julia Mayuga is currently in an internship at OC Health Agency
- Former journalism/public relations student Sarah Ochoa is now a social media account manager at Style House
- Former journalism/public relations student Madison Patcheak is social media manager at Bluon HVAC
- Former journalism/public relations student Madison Amirehteshami is working at OC Parenting magazine
Music
- Choral director Bradley Hampton is experiencing record growth in the choir since we returned to in-person learning. He is thrilled to welcome students to campus and in person singing again!
- Marcus McMillan and the commercial music team also experienced record growth since in-person learning has returned. The division office had to open additional labs to accommodate the expansion of students enrolled in music courses.
September’s Student Services Spotlight is on Lisa Hoang, who came to Cypress in July 2017. Lisa works in EOPS/CARE/CalWorks/Guardian Scholars & Grads to Be Office as a Student Services Technician. She works with our student workers, adult hourly staff, and counselors. She considers EOPS as her second family. “Enhancing the Student Experience means ‘going above and beyond her call of duties.’ When the pandemic first happened, I found myself spending a lot of my time on the phone. I sometimes chat with students up to 30 minutes or even an hour. I walk them through the step by step process on myGateway and ‘how to apply,’ registration, etc. It’s really nice to be back on campus and seeing more students. I always strive to make our work at the front desk easier for our students. Work smarter, not harder is my mantra. I like to think outside of the box.” Thank you, Lisa! We are grateful you are here serving students.
On October 22, Dr. Schilling will be participating in the Look Who’s Dancing fundraiser on behalf of Pathways of Hope (PoH). As you know, PoH supports the Cypress College food pantry and provides our students with resources for emergency housing. The event is at 7 p.m. at Fullerton College. We are grateful to partner with this excellent organization and happy to be participating in this event to raise funds to end homelessness in Orange County. If you are interested in supporting Dr. Schilling, you may donate here. Thank you to those who have already contributed! Funds will go to directly support our students.
Please join us for all the fabulous activities planned for Hispanic Heritage Month across the District.
Buen Cypress! We Take This Journey Together!