President Schilling’s Board Report for October 24, 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 October 24, 2023
The ZTC/OER workgroup has been working to submit proposals for increasing our ZTC offerings at Cypress College. Our new Social Sciences Dean Jaime Thomas and LLRC/DE Dean Treisa Cassens have been instrumental in helping to complete these grant applications. We just received a state grant of $115,000 for our Hospitality (HRC) program to move their classes to ZTC. HRC faculty member, Amanda Gargano, will be leading the faculty team. Congratulations on taking this important step forward to benefit our students.
The CIS and Dual Enrollment departments participated the weekend of October 14 in several Cyber Patriot events including a Cyber decathlon of over 300 students from all our local K-12 campuses competing. This year-long event will culminate with the Cyber Patriot Superintendent Cup ceremony on April 23, 2024. A big thank you to the Dual Enrollment team and our CIS department for all the hard work facilitating this competition.
October 6 was Accounting Department Career Day. All the big three firms (PWC, Deloitte, and Milton) as well as CSULB, CalCPA, and others were at Cypress College to meet with students. The central part of this program included presentations and panel discussions, which allows employers to speak with and answer questions from students. There were outreach tables where local colleges and businesses (including the big three) could connect with students and potentially enroll them in their internship programs. A big thank you to Ann Sheridan-Solis, Abigail Awad, and Samreen Manjra, our Accounting Department faculty, for organizing and facilitating this program in cooperation with the student Management Club.
Cypress College is partnering with the Babson Financial Literacy Project again to host a series of workshops to provide students with information on how to become more financially literate and manage their financial future. These workshops are open to all students, required by many of our affinity groups, and are part of our Title V grant. They are:
- Choosing a Credit Card| October 11, 2023 from 12-1 p.m.
- Building a Financial Plan for College| November 8, 2023 from 12-1 p.m.
- Investing to Achieve your Financial Goals| November 29, 2023 from 12-1:30 p.m.
The Cypress College Nursing Program is excited to report that 100% of our students passed the NCLEX-RN. We had 26/26 first-time test takers and all passed. That’s right; our score is 100%. Congratulations to our nursing faculty and to our administration and staff who support this important work.
In other exciting news for our Health Science Division, our Dental Hygiene Program has received provisional approval from the Chancellor’s Office to offer a new baccalaureate degree in Dental Hygiene! The final step in this process is approval from ACCJC. We are very excited to be moving closer to our second BDP at Cypress College!
The Theatre Arts Department would like to congratulate our adjunct faculty designers, Marcie Alberti and Paul Hadobas, for winning the Best Makeup Design award at this year’s Orange Curtain Theatre Awards for their work on last spring’s Beauty and the Beast. The show also earned two nominations, including Best College Production and Best Featured Actor for Lukas Marvin’s performance as Lumiere. In addition, our production of Carrie received glowing reviews as the “show to see” before our closing weekend on October 15. Congratulations to our Theatre faculty and students for their demonstrated excellence!
Award-winning author and educator Leslie Ferguson visited the campus on Tuesday, October 17, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in CCCPLX-414. The workshop focused on fostering a heart-centered, trauma-informed approach in the classroom. Leslie Ferguson, author of the acclaimed memoir When I Was Her Daughter, visited our campus as part of the Visiting Writers series.
Cypress College participated in this year’s Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill on Thursday, October 19 at 10:19 a.m. During this drill, the college conducted an evacuation to simulate a campus-wide response to an actual earthquake event. Thanks to Campus Safety Director Craig Lee and VPAS Stephen Schoonmaker for organizing this event.
October is Disability and Inclusion Month. Wear a purple ribbon in support! At Cypress College we are committed to creating an environment where every person feels valued, respected, and included. We aim to raise awareness of the complexity, depth, and history of people with disabilities. Together, we can break down barriers and build a world that cherishes diversity, fosters respect, and provides equal opportunities for everyone. Thank you to DSS Director Celeste Phelps and her team for organizing the events occurring this month.
The college held our “blue carpet event” for the premier of The College Tour on Amazon Prime, featuring none other than Cypress College. Ten current and former students shared their experiences and did so with poise and professionalism. The event featured a first-look screening from 5:30-6 p.m. and a Q&A from 6-6:30 p.m. in our Immersive Digital Classroom (IDC) in our SEM Building. Be sure to look for us this November on Amazon Prime. You will be impressed!
Dr. Schilling will be participating in a Presidents Panel discussing “Community College Capacity for New Programs and Current Programs Serving the Space Industry Sector” November 8 at CSULB. This discussion will feature several community college presidents and industry leaders talking about developing a pipeline for underrepresented students in the sciences. We will be hosting a program table and inviting 20 STEM students and faculty to attend the event to network with industry leaders.
Undocumented Student Action Week (USAW) took place October 16-20, 2023. Our Grads to Be Programs across NOCCCD (CC, FC, NOCE) have partnered to present a vibrant list of workshops and offerings in celebration of USAW. Now in its seventh year at the state level, USAW encourages California Community Colleges to engage in advocacy and support efforts in solidarity with undocumented students throughout the state. Get more information.
Buen Cypress! We Take This Journey Together!