President Thayer’s Board Report for September 10, 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 September 10, 2024
Fall Semester Begins, Progress Continues for Enrollment Restoration
The fall semester kicked off in a strong fashion with double-digit enrollment growth, full parking lots, and an on-campus energy to match a student population that is inches from reaching its pre-pandemic levels.
As the college approached first census at the end of week two, enrollment was up 12% overall with a 13% increase in headcount to 15,945 students enrolled in fall-semester courses.
FTES was up 11%, reaching 5,649 full-time equivalent students. This puts the college ahead of projections that would see the annual enrollment surpass pre-pandemic levels for the first time.
We thank all of our employees for the hard work they are doing to help students enroll in the college and to persist successfully through completion.
Paletas With Puente Highlights New Program Team
With the retirement of beloved counselor Dr. Therese Mosqueda-Ponce, the Cypress College Puente Program is as robust as ever under the guidance of full-time faculty member Ruth Gutierrez and adjunct counselor Rosemary Rangel, the program’s co-coordinators.
To celebrate the change, Puente invited the campus community to “pop on over and chill with us” for Paletas with Puente. Not only was it a great event, the timing was perfect as the temperatures on the afternoon of Thursday, September 5 broke triple digits.
This semester, Puente will participate in Hispanic Heritage Month activities, Noche Con Los Padres Y Mentores, Dia De Los Muertos, a museum visit, university tours, the Puente Motivational Conference, and the Professional Latinos Panel & Career Center Collaborative.
Puente —Spanish for “bridge” — is a national award-winning program that helps students reach their dreams of college success. The program was established at Cypress College in 1996 with the mission to increase the number of educationally disadvantaged students who enroll in four-year colleges and universities, earn college degrees, and return to the community as mentors and leaders to future generations. Puente is open to all students and is co-sponsored by the University of California and the California Community Colleges.
Webinar with Dr. Carol Anderson on September 13
We are proud to host an exclusive webinar with Dr. Carol Anderson in conjunction with the NOCCCD Office of Diversity, Culture, and Inclusion and our sister institutions. Dr. Anderson will present: “One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy” on September 13.
Dr. Anderson is the Charles Howard Candler Professor and Chair of African American Studies at Emory University. She is the author of several award-winning books, including the New York Times bestseller White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of our Racial Divide and The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America.
This event will be presented as a Zoom/Webinar with a simultaneous in-person watch party at Cypress College starting at 8:30 a.m. Refreshments will be provided. Additional information is available on the NOCCCD website.
New Student Welcome Night a Huge Success
Even before the semester began, the campus was full of students. They were energetically attending our New Student Welcome Night event. Nearly 1,200 of our newly enrolled freshmen, and roughly 2,000 parents, siblings, and other guests attended the event, held on the evening of Friday, August 23.
New Student Welcome Night featured greetings, a mini-orientation for students in the Theater and multiple lecture halls, and parent sessions available in both English and Spanish.
Following these main sessions, our guests visited resource booths representing instruction, student services, and student life. We invite you to enjoy highlights from the event.
Opening Day Launches Academic Year
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.
Members of President’s Staff gave updates on marketing, accreditation, construction, and enrollment.
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.
The President’s Vision 2024 focused on providing a broader context by taking a look at where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are going. This included three focus areas for the academic year: enrollment, wellness, and belonging.
We invite you to read more about Opening Day and to see the video on our website.
Alumni Spotlight: Chef Johnathan Benvenuti
“After finding my passion for cooking, I competed in a knife skills competition that was hosted by Cypress College and judged by Chef Jeremy Peters. After winning and speaking with Jeremy, I enrolled in the Culinary Arts program at Cypress. From there, the rest is history.”
— Chef Johnathan Benvenuti.
Read more or click the video image at the right to hear Chef Benvenuti describe his Cypress College journey.
Buen Cypress! We Take This Journey Together!