Opening Day Focuses on Wellness, College Journey Heading into Fall 2024 Semester
Long has been the tradition at Cypress College to ensure students feel that their educational paths are not taken alone. From the college’s previous “Go Places” slogan, to its current anthem of “We Take This Journey Together,” the focus has always been on taking each step with students. But it’s not just journeying with students; it’s journeying with faculty, staff, and administration, too. Nor it is only an educational journey; it’s also a wellness journey.
The 2024-2025 academic year began with an Opening Day that focused on both the college’s journey and the wellness of the employees and students who take their journey with the college.
Associated Students President Kassy Nguyen, Classified Senate President Christy Montenegro, and Academic Senate President Kathleen McAlister all spoke of the journey the past academic year has taken students, staff, and faculty on. For some, the journey included recognition, as Adel Rajab was presented with the 2023-2024 Outstanding Faculty Award, Nora Simoes the Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award, Jill Bauer the Charger Award, and Stephanie Teer the District North Star Award. Kirk Domke was also recognized for his nomination for Orange County Teacher of the Year. Thirty-five new and newly promoted employees were acknowledged for starting and continuing their journeys here at Cypress.
And Cypress College’s journey this past academic year?
Members of President’s Staff gave updates on marketing, accreditation, construction, and enrollment, which is expected to reach pre-pandemic numbers this academic year.
NOCCCD Chancellor Dr. Byron D. Clift Breland and Board of Trustees Secretary Dr. Barbara Dunsheath spoke of Cypress’ journey through the lens of the District.
Dr. Scott Thayer noted that his goal at Opening Day was “to widen our field of view and provide a broader context by taking a look at where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are going.”
Where We’ve Been
Regarding the instruction modalities, 67% of courses are held either entirely or partially on campus (46% are in person on campus), and 33% are fully online or remote. We had 1,432 full-time students enrolled in Charger Experience for the 2023-2024 academic year. Dual Enrollment served 1,820 students. We’ve seen a growing number of traditional-aged students, thanks to the hard work our teams do. We also serve a number of special populations: 811 students with disabilities, 688 LGBTQ+ identifying students, 665 students enrolled in EOPS, and 606 military-affiliated students.
“The work that is done in these communities — and many others — is at the heart of our motto that We Take This Journey Together. This is where our caring, professional staff and faculty work with students to meet their individual and group needs,” Dr. Thayer said. He later added, “Who we are and where we are comes from a place of caring about our students and investing in their journey.”
Where We Are
Cypress College has a balanced enrollment (based on student outcomes) with roughly half of our students seeking transfer and/or degrees and the other half in our career education programs.
This semester we’re continuing to offer the All-Access Passport, which provides students with our Book Pass, Food Pass, and the previously existing Bus Pass. The Bus Pass offers students with access to OCTA transportation, while the Food Pass gives students $12 worth of food per day, which resulted in more than 175,000 free meals served to students. The Book Pass gives students the option of purchasing course materials for a maximum of $100 per semester. This ambitious initiative saved students $2.5 million in textbook and course materials. This was not the cost of the program, but actual savings by students because of the program.
In addition to that, we’ve provided $500,000 in scholarships and emergency assistance to students through our Foundation, we’ve served nearly 19,000 students through our Basic Needs Resource Center & Food Pantry, and our Student Health & Wellness Center provided 573 mental health counseling sessions to students.
“This work is both essential and critical to helping our students complete their journey,” Dr. Thayer said. “As we look to the future,” he added, “we are focused on strengthening the college-going culture. This is the journey we’re building.”
Where We’re Going
Moving forward, there are three areas of focus: enrollment, wellness, and belonging.
In terms of enrollment, it’s a two-part goal: (1) bringing students in, and (2) providing them services to help them complete. The college has focused diligently on both parts of this goal, resulting in an expectation that enrollment will reach and surpass our pre-pandemic levels. This is done through an unprecedented level of advertising, outreach, and other marketing communication efforts; newly hired student success advocates who will act as mentors to guide students on their journey and ensure they have the information and services they need; the All-Access Passport; and a variety of resource centers such as Honors, Puente, Legacy, APIDA, Pride, Rising Scholars, and (STEM)²/MESA.
Regarding wellness, Dr. Thayer shared a campaign called “Wellness at Cypress College.” This campaign can take on many forms, such as an on-campus walking initiative, a virtual competitive walk, and yoga and meditation practice. Dr. Thayer promised to walk on campus more, and he hopes this encourages others to start with similar simple steps.
“If we don’t show up as the best version of ourselves, it has an impact on everyone we come in contact with. Sound mind. Sound body. Sound soul,” he said. “The most important part, I believe, is cultivating a wellness frame of mind. I also believe that doing it collectively is the key to success because it makes us accountable to each other. I personally commit to participating and uplifting this initiative, and I invite you to start with me this semester.”
When it comes to belonging, Dr. Thayer noted that NOCCCD describes itself as a “Destination District,” which fits well with our campus promise that “We Journey Together.” Part of belonging is celebrating our successes because these successes bind us into a community.
Here are some successes to celebrate:
- Cypress College was recently named the most-successful nursing school in the nation based on the 100% pass rate on the national NCLEX licensing exam.
- We were awarded a baccalaureate degree in Dental Hygiene.
- Architect LPA was recently recognized for their work in sustainability design for the Cypress College SEM building.
“Celebrating in this way is how we develop a sense of belonging as employees,” Dr. Thayer said. “It also helps us develop that sense of belonging for our students.”
When we, as a community, feel like we belong, we are more likely to take the journey together. We look forward to doing just that in the 2024-2025 academic year.