Cypress College

Cypress College is a public community college in Cypress, California. It is part of the California Community Colleges System and belongs to the North Orange County Community College District. It offers a variety of general education (55 associate degrees), transfer courses (58 transfer majors), and 145 vocational programs leading to associate degrees and certificates.

History

The college opened on September 12, 1966.

Campus

The campus, covering an area of , was designed by architect Frank Lawyer of the Houston, Texas-based firm Caudill Rowlett Scott. It features several futuristic-looking buildings set around a central lake. The college is noteworthy in that it has never completely abandoned the style of buildings it was initially created with. The new library, which opened on January 30, 2006, still bears heavy resemblance to the school's original buildings, though the use of concrete is de-emphasized in favor of glass.

Cypress College is located in the shadow of major tourist attractions such as Disney's theme parks and Downtown Disney (about six miles), Knotts' Berry Farm (less than five miles), and The Outlets at Orange entertainment complex (about 10 miles). The campus is 12 miles from the beach and is close to Long Beach, California and Los Angeles. The campus is located at 9200 Valley View Street in the city of Cypress.

Organization and administration

Cypress College operates with a decentralized approach of separate academic "divisions," allowing the benefits of both a small and large college campus. Each of the campus' instructional buildings was designed with a commons area where students with similar majors could meet and study.

The college is a part of the North Orange County Community College District. The campus is also part of the California Community College System.

Campus presidents

* Dan Walker, 1967-1970
* Omar Scheidt, 1970–1977
* Don Bedard, 1977–1978 ¹
* Jack Scott, 1978–1987
* Elma Clamp, 1987–1988 ¹
* Kirk Avery, 1988–1992
* Tom Harris, Jr., 1992–1994 ¹
* Christine Johnson, 1995–1998
* Don Bedard, 1998–1999 ¹
* Margie Lewis, 1999–2007
* Michael J. Kasler, 2007–2012
* Bob Simpson, 2012–2017
* JoAnna Schilling, 2017–present

¹ Served in an interim capacity.

Academics

Cypress College's student population reaches nearly 17,000 per semester, though that number has fluctuated (experiencing historically high levels in 2010 and going as low as 12,500) in recent years based on the level of state funding provided and other economic factors. Spring 2012 enrollment was approximately 15,000.

The college features a strong mix of ethnic diversity in its student population: 33% are Caucasian, 27% are Latino, 19% are Asian/Pacific Islander, 8% are Filipino, 6% are African American, and 5% are from other ethnicities or their ethnicity is unidentified.

The college is a Training Center for the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium. Cypress College Registered Nursing program graduates scored a 97.26% pass-rate in the 2004/2005 test years, 95.38% pass-rate for 2005/2006 test years, and 98.91% pass rate in the 2006/2007 test years on the State of California Board of Registered Nursing NCLEX state licensure examination. Approximately 24% of students fail the RN program.

Cypress College is home to the only mortuary science program in the greater Orange County and Greater Los Angeles areas, and is one of only two such public programs in the state of California.

Library

The Cypress College Library has a collection of approximately 70,000 books, 5,000 periodicals (mainly online), a large collection of reference works, and a variety of DVDs. The library offers students free 24/7 access to electronic databases with full text magazine, newspaper, journal, and encyclopedia articles. The library's special collections/archives houses materials that hold value to the college. These collections are not open to the public.

Student life

Sports

Cypress College has 13 intercollegiate teams, including men's and women's teams. The athletics teams are nicknamed the Chargers. For men the school offers baseball, basketball, golf, soccer, swim & dive, and tennis. Women are offered basketball, soccer, softball, swim & dive, tennis, volleyball, and water polo. These programs have attained 73 conference titles and 24 state championships.

Clubs

There are many clubs offered at Cypress College. Clubs active as of fall 2013 are the Anime Club, Associated Mathematicians of Cypress College, Black Student Union (BSU), Campus Christians, Engineering and Physics Club (EPC), Honors Club, Human Services Club, International Club, Muslim Students Association (MSA), and Psychology Club.

Arts

Cypress College hosts student performances, exhibitions and events throughout the year. Theater, dance and music studies culminate in student performances held in the Cypress College theaters and recital hall. The Cypress College Art Gallery and the Edouard de Merlier Photography Gallery host annual student exhibitions at the end of every Spring semester, showcasing student work from the Art, Media Arts Design and Photography departments. The college also holds its Annual Film Festival every Spring semester which premieres short films made by Media Arts Design students.

Notable alumni

* Scott Aukerman – Creator and star, Comedy Bang Bang
* Jason Bates – Major League Baseball player, Colorado Rockies
* Greg Cannom - Three time Academy Award Winning Makeup Artist, Mrs. Doubtfire, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* Caitlin Doughty – mortician, author and promoter of death acceptance and alternative funeral practices
* Brian Downing – Major League Baseball player, California Angels
* Mark Eaton – National Basketball Association center, Utah Jazz
* Ben Francisco – Major League Baseball player, Philadelphia Phillies
* Keith Ginter – Major League Baseball player, Oakland Athletics
* Charles Gipson – Major League Baseball player
* Carla Harvey – singer in the band Butcher Babies
* Vince Hizon – professional basketball player
* Trevor Hoffman – Major League Baseball pitcher, San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers
* Geri Jewell – actor and comedian best known for roles on '' The Facts of Life'' and HBO's '' Deadwood''
* Brandon Laird – Major League Baseball player
* Gerald Laird – Major League Baseball player
* Steven Lee – multi-platinum music producer
* Alon Leichman – Olympian, member of the Israel national baseball team, and assistant pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds
* Pat Martin – radio personality, Sacramento, KRXQ
* Keith McDonald – Major League Baseball player
* Swen Nater - American Basketball Association and National Basketball Association player
* David Newhan – Major League Baseball player, Houston Astros (attended)
* Augie Ojeda – Major League Baseball player, Arizona Diamondbacks
* Jeff Patterson – Major League Baseball player, New York Yankees
* John Sexton (photographer) - Photographer
* Steve Smyth – Major League Baseball player, Chicago Cubs
* Eric Stefani – musician, formerly of No Doubt
* Cory Sullivan – Major League Baseball player, Houston Astros
* Kirsten Vangsness – actress on the CBS drama series ''Criminal Minds''
* Jason Vargas (born 1983) - baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies
* George Zeber – Major League Baseball player, New York Yankees

References

External links

Official website

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California Community Colleges
Universities and colleges in Orange County, California
Cypress, California
1966 establishments in California
Educational institutions established in 1966
Two-year colleges in the United States