President Thayer’s Board Report for August 27, 2024
The following is a report to members of the North Orange County Community College District Board of Trustees
Presented by Cypress College President Scott W. Thayer, Ed.D.
on August 27, 2024
NASA leads STEM Students in Robotics Competition on Campus
Cypress College STEM students who participated in the NCAS (NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars) program this year completed their final event earlier this month. The 4-year-old program is a partnership with NASA with Yanet Garcia, Director of Educational Partnerships – STEM and Dr. Ron Armale, Astronomy and Physics professor serving as co-principal investigators for the competition.
A group of 21 NCAS student participants grouped in teams to cheer alongside five faculty and mentors.
NCAS-enrolled scholars from the (STEM)² program broke into four teams to pit small-scale Mars rovers against each other in multiple contests.
The four-day competition capped off the NCAS course, and featured a series of missions to demonstrate career pathways in STEM for underrepresented groups. Missions included visiting UC Irvine’s College of Engineering, touring Google in Playa Vista, and networking with mentors and professionals in the field.
Cypress College Hosts T-TEN Instructor Conference
This year’s T-TEN (Toyota Technician Education Network) instructor and facilitator annual gathering took place on the Cypress College campus. More than 65 T-TEN Instructor Community (TTENIC) members from across the country came to the Community National Training and Instructional Development Event, which ends tonight in a closing celebration.
Over three days, these community members participated in development activities outside of Toyota-organized meetings. Attendees developed curricula and processes to improve student outcomes for schools nationwide.
T-TEN program coordinator Michael Klyde led the effort to bring the event to campus. Cypress College continually ranks high nationwide for its cohort success.
Enrollment Growth Continues for Fall Semester
Pre-pandemic enrollment levels are within reach at Cypress College this academic year. Our Full-Time Equivalent Students (FTES) enrollment measure is up to 5,200 for the semester (as of Thursday, August 22, 2024). This puts the campus on track to exceed the annual 2019-2020 enrollment levels of 11,622 FTES.
Comparing enrollment year-to-year, the number of students enrolled is 14,304, up 8.8% and our courses are 5% fuller than a year ago.
In the previous two academic years, enrollment has grown 11%, making the increases we’re seeing so far this fall even more impressive. Of particular note, our FTES in the 2021-22 academic year was 9,867, a 15% loss of enrollment from the pre-pandemic, and below the critical 10,000 FTES mark.
Charger Book Pass Returns, Provides Students with $100 Book Access
Part of Cypress College’s impressive enrollment growth is the availability of wrap-around services to help our students succeed once they are enrolled. These include a number of support centers, our Charger Experience and Dual Enrollment programs, and our All-Access Pass providing food, book, and bus transportation.
For the fall semester, Cypress College is able to fund and continue our popular Charger Book Pass. In the program, students pay a maximum of $100 for required eBooks, textbooks, and access codes.
This program provides an easy, cost-effective, single-price option for reducing textbook costs for our students. All students enrolled in one or more courses at Cypress College are automatically opted in to the program.
No student will pay more than $100 for all of their required textbook-related course materials at the start of the semester and may pay less if they are enrolled in fewer than 12 units. If students are in courses with free textbooks or can find the materials elsewhere, they may opt out of the program.
Classified Senate Leadership Announced
The Cypress College Classified Senate announced the results of the Classified Senate nominations for the 2024-25 academic year. The 2024-25 Classified Senate Executive Board is:
- President: Christy Montenegro
- Vice President: Kristina Oganesian
- Secretary: Regina Russell
- Treasurer: Summer Justice
- Senator: Diana Domingo
- Senator: Dominique Somoano
- Senator: Dorothy Jackson
- Senator: Michael Ashton
- Senator: Mohammad Chaudhry
- Senator: Tayler Thomas
- Senator: Teresa Chevalier
Former Chargers Baseball Pitcher Makes MLB Debut
Cypress College alumnus Troy Taylor played his first game as a Seattle Mariner in mid-August, marking his debut as a Major League Baseball player. During the game against the New York Mets, he pitched a scoreless inning and had two strikeouts, helping the Mariners win 12-1.
Troy began playing at Cypress in 2021, with a strong record that includes 23 strikeouts with the Chargers. He went on to transfer to and play for UC Irvine, before being selected by the Mariners in the 2022 MLB draft.
This brings the total number of Cypress College alumni who have gone on to play with the MLB to 25, the highest amount in the California Community College system.
Cypress College Baseball Alum Julian Aguiar Makes MLB Debut
Cypress College alumni Julian Aguiar, a former standout pitcher for the Chargers, made his Major League Baseball debut as the starting pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, August 20, 2024. Aguiar played a key role in the Reds’ 6-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, marking an impressive start to his big-league career.
Aguiar’s debut is particularly significant for Cypress College, as he becomes the 26th alum from the Chargers Baseball Program to make an MLB appearance. In an exciting twist, Aguiar’s debut was also a reunion of sorts, with two other Cypress alumni, Alon Leichman and Jeff Pickler, on the Reds coaching staff. The game also featured a matchup against former Charger Tommy Nance, who now plays for the Blue Jays.
Aguiar’s journey to the majors began at Cypress College, where he pitched alongside fellow alum Troy Taylor (see story above) during the 2021 season. Following his time at Cypress, Aguiar entered the 2021 MLB Draft, where he was selected by the Reds in the 12th round.
Team Building
During August, we also held retreats with the full management team and with the executive leadership team. The management team retreat focused on team building and featured a competitive team-building activity at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. The executive team held its day-long session with the facilitation of Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud. The team focused both on vision and used the Enneagram tool to better understand each other’s leadership styles.
Buen Cypress! We Take This Journey Together!