President Schilling’s Board Report for March 28, 2023
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 March 28, 2023
Members of the Cypress Chronicle news team journeyed to San Francisco to compete in the four-day JACC/ACP state and national convention. The Chronicle took home several awards in the categories of social media team, copy editing, feature photography, and news writing. Hal Saga is the Editor of the Chronicle’s magazine Candid! and placed in four separate categories on her own, including first place feature photo. Her achievements follow her first-place news story award in the JACC fall 2022 regional conference.
March 13-17 was Neurodiversity Celebration Week at Cypress College. This celebration is a worldwide initiative that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences. Our DSS Department understands that together, we can change the narrative to understand, accept, and celebrate neurodiversity, and they want to spread the word.
The Cypress College ARISE team will also be providing a Neurodiversity Workshop for employees and students on April 3, 2023. Join us to learn about teaching and working with neurodiverse students in CCCPLX-414 from 10 – 11:30 a.m. Please register through EdVantage on our District employee portal.
Cypress College has been selected to participate in the Wellness Vending Machines Pilot. Selected colleges will be launching this new pilot helping to expand access to wellness products for students. We appreciate the work of Stephen Schoonmaker and Marla McBride to put us in the position of receiving funds and access as part of this pilot program.
Our LIFE community, supporting our formerly incarcerated community, continues to offer events throughout the semester. Please see the schedule of events below:
- March 14, 9:30-11 a.m.: Inside the Pelican Bay SHU with Jamala Taylor & Kevin McCarthy. Come and listen to the experiences of two men who lived and survived the Pelican Bay SHU: LIFE’s own Jamala Taylor, and his colleague, Kevin McCarthy. Coffee and pastries served at 9:30a.m.!
- March 18, 12-1 p.m.: Yoga on the Bluffs. Come and do yoga, overlooking the ocean, in Long Beach! We will follow that with a trip to the park with live music – and tamales from the tamale cart.
- March 28, 9 a.m. -12 p.m.: LIFE Program Transfer Fair. Come and connect with programs (Underground Scholars and Project Rebounds) on four-year campuses, specifically for formerly-incarcerated and system-impacted students! Find out about scholarships, grants, and other supports for transfer students! Attendees will earn a $25 gift certificate from the Cypress College Bookstore.
- April 7, 10-11:30 a.m.: Clean Slate Expungement Services. We are partnering with the Access Project again! Come and get a free livescan done, then be partnered with an attorney – ALL FREE! (You do not have to attend Livescan Day, but it is strongly encouraged). Will be taking place at Recovery Road in Anaheim! Open to all Cypress College students, alumni, faculty, staff, and family members.
STEM(2) Student Diana Phommavanh was invited to share her poster presentation at American Physics Society (APS) conference 2023 in Las Vegas on March 23. She also recently sent these inspiring words: “Life is like a camera, focus on what’s important, Capture the good times, develop from the negatives, and if things don’t work out, Take another shot.” We are so proud of Diana and her accomplishments!
On Tuesday, April 4 at 12:30 p.m. in CCCPLX-216, Career Coach, Oscar Garcia will be presenting at Cypress College for our Careers and Social Justice Week. His focus is on teaching our students to network, to embrace their excellence, and envision the career they want.
Our Associated Students will be hosting our first Faculty – Student Softball Game on April 3 from 2:30 – 5:30 p.m. the Cypress College softball field. Please join us to either play or cheer for this winning competition.
Yom HaShoah will be held on April 26 at 7 p.m. in our Campus Theater; tickets are selling fast so we encourage you to register now if you plan on attending. This year’s featured speaker will be Joe Alexander, a 100-year-old survivor of 12 concentration camps. Although general admission tickets are free, special VIP tickets are available with a donation to our Holocaust Education Fund. For more details or to register, please visit our Yom HaShoah webpage.
Dr. Schilling was honored to participate in the Women of the Year ceremony in Sacramento on March 20 in the State Capitol, along with Dr. Sonya Christian, the new CCCCO Chancellor, and 79 other outstanding women from all 80 Assembly Districts in California. Many thanks to Assembly member Sharon Quirk-Silva for this wonderful honor! On March 16, Dr. Schilling was honored by Congresswoman Michelle Steel as a Woman of Distinction for the 19 cities in the Congresswoman’s service area. It has been a whirlwind month and she is grateful for the kind recognition.
The Career Planning Center is happy to share that our Career Closet is now open! We will be scheduling appointments beginning Monday, March 13 All students are eligible to receive one free professional outfit per year and can schedule their Career Closet 45-minute appointment through our new scheduling system. We are still gladly accepting donations of used or new professional clothing and accessories. Small, XL, and XXL sizes are still needed! Please feel free to drop off your items at the Career Planning Center front desk. All items must be clean before donating.
Buen Cypress! We Take This Journey Together!