President Thayer’s Board Report for November 18, 2025
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 November 18, 2025
Principals and Superintendents Breakfast Welcomes Local Partners
Cypress College hosted the annual Principals and Superintendents Breakfast on Thursday, November 6, 2025.
The college hosted leaders from several feeder school districts, including AUHSD, for the event. The purpose is to foster and maintain ongoing relationships with our educational partners.
The event featured: a welcome and highlights from Dr. Scott W. Thayer; data and research from Bryan Ventura, the director of Institutional Research and Planning; a Dual Enrollment update from the program’s director, Stephanie Teer, and manager, Andrea Laguna Morales; and from the Charger Experience Program (Promise) director, Brittany Hamer.
A question-and-answer session closed out the event, which was held on the patio above the Sergio O’Cadiz mural.
OC Department of Education Hosts Teacher of the Year Recognition
Biology faculty Francisco Perez was recognized with 60-plus educators from across Orange County at the annual Teacher of the Year dinner, held in the Grand Ballroom of the Disneyland Hotel on Friday, November 7, 2025.
In March, Perez was the selection of a student committee following student nominations and a review process. Perez has been a full-time instructor in the Science, Engineering, and Math Division since fall 2022 and served as an adjunct in the division since spring 2019.
In 2022, during his time as an adjunct, Perez was recognized with the Academic Senate’s Outstanding Adjunct Faculty award. He was previously a professional expert in the Learning Resource Center with the Supplemental Instruction Program from August 2013 until he was hired as an adjunct.
Perez was joined at the Orange County Department of Education’s celebration dinner by Trustee Mark Lopez, Interim Vice President of Instruction Terri Long, SEM division Dean Patricia Menchaca, communications director Marc Posner, retiree Sujata Chiplunkar, and colleagues Melisa Chteoui, Joel Gober, Dee Sato, and Stephanie Spooner.
VAPA Students Make Monsters at Knott’s Scary Farm
Two Visual and Performing Arts students used their prosthetic makeup skills to increase the fright at Knott’s Berry Farm’s seasonal Scary Farm event, and they credit a Cypress College professor with their skills.
Kat Kunze and Lyanna Hauger both took Prosthetic Makeup from Paul Hadobas, who teaches the class each spring (in fall, he teaches Stage Makeup).
Hadobas began working at Knott’s Scary Farm when it debuted, and as part of the class, Hadobas invites a former colleague from Knott’s to speak to his students about gaining employment in the field of prosthetic makeup.
That’s how Kunze and Hauger found their way to working at the yearly months-long event, where frightening creatures overtake the park on most nights.
Hadobas, Kunze, and Hauger describe the Prosthetic Makeup class and how the skills gained at Cypress College translate to a professional environment. The three discuss this prosthetics application in a question-and-answer interview on the college website and an accompanying video on YouTube.
In the interview, Hadobas said the prosthetics course is “my personal passion to teach [because] it’s so creative and fun.”
Pat O’Brien, 26-Year Faculty Member and Interim Dean, Passes Away
Patrick O’Brien — a long-time faculty member, active retiree, and chronicler of the campus — passed away on October 29, 2025. O’Brien was known for his affable nature and kindness during his 26 years as an English instructor.
“He was a fabulous career educator and an important part of Cypress College,” said retiree Donna Friess, who was a close colleague of O’Brien’s. “He was a great person.”
O’Brien joined the faculty in 1971 and was here as the permanent buildings were built. He retired from his faculty role in 1997. He temporarily left retirement for two stints as an interim dean, and was a member of multiple anniversary-celebration committees. Back in retirement, O’Brien created The Cypress Connection, a newsletter intended to keep retirees connected.
The newsletter was just the tip of his written work. O’Brien was an author across multiple genres — writing fiction, academic textbooks, children’s stories, and composing lyrics for the Herb Alpert Group.
For the college’s 50th anniversary celebration, he wrote the official poem, which was recited at both the rededication event to open the anniversary and the community celebration to close it out. The closing stanza of O’Brien’s poem touches on legacy:
And on this day, we touch our treasured past
Learners all — students, teachers, coaches, peers—
A Cypress spirit will forever last,
Ours the testimony of its growing years.
O’Brien was a supporter of, and contributor to, the Cypress College Foundation — which included a memorial scholarship offered to health science students in his sister’s name.
Cypress College Remembers Long-Time Counselor Tom Nordee
Cypress College is remembering long-time counseling faculty member Tom Nordee.
Nordee passed away on October 26, 2025 following lengthy health issues. At Cypress College, he served as a counselor for several divisions: Science, Engineering, and Math; Physical Education; Humanities; and Fine Arts.
In addition, he was a former Academic Senate President and advisor to multiple clubs.
Prior to joining the faculty, Nordee was a Viet Nam veteran and a purple heart recipient.
In addition, he was a talented football quarterback playing professionally in Torino, Italy as well as with the Los Angeles Rams during the strike year of 1974.
Nordee retired from Cypress College in 2010, following 35 years of service.
EOPS/CARE Adopt-a-Family Program Seeking Sponsors
The holidays are just around the corner, and it’s the perfect time to share a little joy for the families connected to Cypress College’s EOPS/CARE program.
Since 2016, the program has hosted the Adopt-A-Family program to support our low-income and single-parent CARE families during the holiday season. Last year, the Charger community adopted more than 40 families, providing them with generous gifts. For those who would like to sponsor a CARE family, please complete the Adopt-A-Family Sponsor Form.
The program also is celebrating the seventh year of the Adopt-An-Angel program through the Guardian Scholars/NextUp program, which supports our current and former foster youth. To sponsor a Guardian Scholars/NextUp student, please complete the Adopt-An-Angel Holiday Program Sponsor Form.
If you wish to participate, please complete the sponsor form(s) by Monday, November 17.
If you have any questions, please contact AnnMarie Ruelas at aruelas@cypresscollege.edu or (714) 484-7369.
Speech and Debate Team Successful Against University Competition
The Cypress College Speech and Debate team had a very successful weekend at the Robert Barbera Invitational hosted at California State University Northridge.
The students completed against 20 other universities and community colleges. The competition was fierce with our students competing against four-year universities such as SDSU, UCLA, CSULB, and more.
Cypress College students earned significant awards across both individual speech and debate events. Below are the individual student achievements:
- Taliya Shurki
- 1st Place-Novice Prose
- 2nd Place- Novice Impromptu
- Infiniti Montes De Oca
- 2nd Place- Novice Poetry
- Kathleen Nguyen
- 2nd Place- Novice Informative
- Ramya Murakonda
- Silver – Novice Parliamentary Debate
- Arren-Ross Balila
- Silver – Novice Parliamentary Debate
- Bronze- Novice IPDA
- Amaury Smith
- Bronze- Novice IPDA
The team is co-directed by Jen Page and Justin Perkins, and is coached by Kelly Hutchison, Zach White, and Abe Nesheiwat.
Healthy Masculinity Event Launched by Rising Scholars
Rising Scholars hosted a workshop on redefining strength, emotion, and identity for those who identify as male students. “Build Healthy Masculinity” explored what it means to be a man in healthy, positive, and authentic ways. The event was held on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, in CCCPLX-414.
The event was organized by the Rising Scholars team and emceed by Tra’Von Williams. In addition to participation from Rising Scholars, there were outside presenters, student presenters, and support from members of the APIDA team.
Yardbarker Names Eaton a Best Community College Basketball Player
Cypress College alumnus Mark Eaton was named by Yardbarker the fifth-best community college basketball player ever. In the November 7, 2025 article, author Jeff Mezydlo describes the late Eaton as “one of the great NBA success stories of all time. Eaton went from auto mechanic to NBA All-Star and two-time defensive player of the year.”
Eaton was honored as Cypress College’s 2004 Alumnus of the Year and the Americana Man of the Year in 2014. His jersey is retired by the NBA’s Utah Jazz.
Eaton frequently shared the story that brought him from the tire shop at the corner of Lincoln and Knott to Cypress College, where he learned to play basketball. While driving past what was then Mark C. Bloome nearby campus, Chemistry Professor Tom Lubin saw a tech looking in the window of a car — that was raised on the auto lift. Lubin, an assistant coach on the basketball team, swung back to the shop and began recruiting the 7-foot-4, 21-year-old who hadn’t been a basketball player when he was a student at Westminster High.
Yardbarker is a sports and entertainment website founded in 2006.
Events in Full Swing During a Month Full of On-Campus Activity
It has been a busy period between board meetings with vibrant on-campus activity. Among the many events were the Accounting Career Event, the Transfer/Pre-Graduation Fair, and the DSS Fun House.
Accounting Career Event
Friday, November 7, 2025 — The event was designed to help students connect with accounting as a potential major and to help them succeed in the accounting program pathway.
Transfer/Pre-Graduation Fair
Thursday, October 30, 2025 — The TPG Fair is intended to provide students with information related to transfer, graduation, and careers in an effort to better prepare them.
DSS Fun House
Thursday, October 30, 2025 — The Disability Support Services team uses this event to educate the campus community about their services and connect students to them.
View the What’s Happening This Week? video.
Buen Cypress! We Take This Journey Together!