President Schilling’s Board Report for December 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 December 13, 2022
The Cypress College “Funk Family” jazz band had the honor of performing live for a national TV audience on ESPN and at the Anaheim Convention Center on November 23 for the Wooden Legacy Basketball tournament. Led by music professor, Gary Gopar, our students, Nonso Ikeji, Linh Nguyen, Adrian Manuel, and Sean Bierman, played for the halftimes during the 6:30 and 9:30 tournament games and Brianna Liddi sang the National Anthem. Thanks for making us #CYProud, Funk Family!
We also want to congratulate our athletes for their successful seasons. Five of six sports made it to the playoffs and although we always want to win that final game, our teams worked hard and not only flourished on the field, but in the classroom as well, with multiple athletes making the All-OER teams. Thank you to our coaches and to Colin Preston and Wes McCurtis for encouraging excellence on and off the field.
Our annual Legacy Program Kwanza Celebration was held on December 1 at 5:30 p.m. This national holiday is a celebration of the seven principles of Kwanzaa, and an opportunity to celebrate the rich culture heritage of our African community, while sharing good food, music, and family. Keynote speaker Kenneth Stark reminded us of the contributions of our African American community, and of the unifying principles which underscore this holiday. Media Arts and Design Professor, Kati Angelov, and her MA students literally lit up the Gateway Plaza as our guests arrived by lighting the Sergio O’Cadiz Moctezuma mural in our plaza with the colors of Kwanzaa. Thank you to Regina Rhymes, LaRon Armstead, Virgil Adams, Daniel Lind, and Annette Letcher for organizing the evening.
We are pleased to announce that Krystal Kosacki, a 2022 Presidential Scholar of Distinction at Cypress College, received a Transfer Alliance Program (TAP) scholarship from the UCLA Transfer Program for 2022-23. Recipients must be certified as having completed the Honors/Scholars Program at their community college, and Krystal will be officially recognized as a participant in the UCLA College TAP Scholars Program. Selection as a TAP Scholar entitles transfer students to an academic scholarship up to $5,000 per year and Krystal will be eligible again next year. Congratulations, Krystal!
Our Career Center is getting ready to open our new Career Closet, located on the second floor of the CCCPLX. This new space will provide students with a free professional outfit each academic year. The Career Center is accepting donations of suits, blouses, ties, slacks, dress shirts, and blazers through December 16 at the Career Planning Center located on the second floor of the Student Center. All items must be cleaned before donating.
For over 15 years, the Cypress College Mortuary Science Department students have hosted an annual memorial service to honor and show appreciation to those who were unclaimed from the Los Angeles County Morgue and contributed to the educational experience here on campus. The students plan, organize, and implement the ceremony each year. This years’ service, on November 30, was dedicated to those we have lost over the two years from the global pandemic. We thank faculty members, Jolena Grande, Lori Collins, Damon de la Cruz, and our Mortuary Science students for a meaningful remembrance and service.
The first MAP2 Conference was held at Cypress College on Thursday, December 1, at Cypress College. MAP2 is a rare apprenticeship program, based on a German workforce training model in engineering and manufacturing, that Cypress has been participating in for several years. We are proud that six out of the seven students chosen for an apprenticeship program were from Cypress. Industry partners and employers who attended were: B. Braun, Oakley, Archytas, Parker Fluids, Parker Aerospace, and Applied Medical. MAP2 was represented by Miriam Farnbauer from Festo-Diag (Germany) and the local Automation project team. The caliber of the employers, the opportunities for engineering students to network and learn from potential employers, and the enthusiasm of everyone involved was exciting to see. Thank you, Engineering Professor Massoud Saleh and Interim VPI Kathleen Reiland for organizing this important event!
Thank you again to everyone who participated in the Adopt a Family and Adopt an Angel programs, benefitting our EOPS/CARE/CalWORKs and Guardian Scholars Programs respectively. The event will be held at 4 p.m. on December 13 where children get to meet Santa, receive their generous gifts, and enjoy the holidays. Thanks to AnnMarie Ruelas, Lili Perez, Ashley Berry, and their teams for a wonderful event!
Cypress College participated in an IEPI Peer Review (PRT) visit on December 5. The college received this grant in December 2021, which focused on our Guided Pathways and Enrollment Management efforts. Our team met with our team representatives from Hartnell, College of the Canyon, Long Beach City, and Bakersfield Colleges, and felt we have made very strong progress on both initiatives. We are happy to share our progress report with the Board if requested.
Cypress College was grateful to host Dr. Breland’ s investiture on December 2. Thank you all for attending and special thanks to Kristi Valdez, Ae Young Kim, Steve Banneck, Chuck Rogers, and Marc Posner of Cypress for their efforts planning and organizing the event. We also thank Kai Moore and Chelsea Salisbury for their expert guidance throughout the planning process, and our Fullerton and NOCE colleagues for the wonderful events planned and implemented on their respective campuses. It was a great way to introduce Dr. Breland to our community and we are proud he is our Chancellor.
It is with sadness that we share the news of Holocaust Survivor Gerda Seifer’s passing. Gerda had been a participant of our Yom HaShoah event for many years, sharing her story of survival with thousands of students, employees, and community members. Her story, which she recounted most recently in her book, The Girl in the Cellar, was one of pain, suffering, struggle, and survival, having spent six weeks alone hiding in a dark cellar and then most of the war being hidden by a neighbor family as her entire family was sent to the death camps. Gerda will forever be part of our Holocaust Survivors Memorial Gallery and she will be deeply missed. For those interested, there will be a public memorial service at Temple Israel in Long Beach on Friday, December 9 at 11 a.m.
As we come to the end of our calendar year and fall semester, we are grateful for the many ways our employees and students have continued to adapt to the changes occurring around us. There is a feeling of optimism and hope in the air as we connect with one another again, welcome new employees to our campus, and celebrate the end of one year and look forward to the coming year together. We wish each of you good health, a restful break, and a joy-filled holiday season with your loved ones.
Buen Cypress! We Take This Journey Together!