The Office of Vice President of Instruction

Dr. Kathleen Reiland began her tenure at Cypress College in 2000 as a faculty member.  Like many community college students, Dr. Reiland is a first-generation college student who grew up without a safety net. Her family moved every year or two, which meant her haphazard education left her underprepared for college. When she enrolled in a California community college, she had no money but felt lucky to find a free room listed on a bulletin board in exchange for housekeeping. Her goal was to get in and out of college as quickly as possible with a job that would pay the rent. It worked and that experience is key to understanding her “why.” She says attending a community college provided her with a short path to employable skills that led to a job, a place to live, and a steady income as a psychiatric technician. In essence, community college gave her the means for moving up from the bottom tier of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. When she could afford it, she periodically returned to college to finish her degrees, which enabled her to advance her career in aviation management and eventually in higher education. Today, she serves as the Vice President of Instruction, supporting faculty, staff, and students.

Dr. Reiland received a Doctorate in Higher Education from the University of Southern California, where she researched gender equity in CTE and STEM. She completed a Master of Arts Degree in Literature and Writing Studies at California State University, San Marcos, where she taught English, ran the Writing Center, and participated in the California Academic Preparation Initiative (a precursor to AB 705). She received Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of San Francisco, where she also received the Undergraduate Research Award. Dr. Reiland attributes this journey to why she believes in the power of what we do in community colleges to transform students’ lives. Her goals stem from a desire to support faculty and staff in finding ways to remove barriers and elevate student success through equitable access, diverse support, a path to livable wages, and ultimately, a chance to live in a world that embraces human rights and sustainable resources.

For the past 25 years, Kathleen Reiland has supported Cypress College by participating in many local and regional committees and initiatives, including program review, student learning outcomes, workforce development, senate, accreditation, strategic planning, Program Mapper, Program Finder, the USC Equity Leadership Institute, the Orange County Regional Consortium Oversight Committee for Community Colleges, and the OC Pathways Executive Committee for K-12 OC Department of Education.  Dr. Reiland received the 2005 Cypress College Teacher of the Year Award and the 2019 North Orange County Community College “Above and Beyond Award,” and she was recently selected for 2024 cohort of the Wheelhouse Advancing Leaders Institute, University of California, Davis.

During most of her journey at Cypress College, Dr. Reiland has also served as a department coordinator, dean, interim vice president, mother of two children, team mom, and most recently, as a proud grandma of a spirited three-year-old who loves to sing and dance all day long.