Board Highlights 03/11/2025
On Tuesday, March 11, 2025, the North Orange County Community College District (NOCCCD) Board of Trustees met for a regularly scheduled meeting. The following are highlights of the meeting held at 5:30 p.m. at the Anaheim Union High School District Board Room.
BOARD ACTIONS
The Board of Trustees acted on agenda items, including those highlighted below.
• The Board unanimously approved the membership fee for Fullerton College to join the Men of Color Action Network (MOCAN). Board Vice President Barbara Dunsheath praised the work MOCAN does.
• The Board approved the 2025 NOCCCD State and Federal Legislative Priorities. Key priorities include fiscal stability, advocating for undocumented students, and supporting noncredit courses.
Study Session: A study session on the District’s Fiscal Position & Budget Planning was led by Vice Chancellor of Finance & Facilities Fred Williams and Executive Director of Fiscal Affairs Erika Almaraz. Williams and Almaraz presented the 2023-2024 actual numbers, the 2024-2025 current year budget, 2025-2026 budget assumptions, economic outlook, multi-year projection, FCMAT fiscal health risk analysis, benchmarking fiscal analysis, and budget planning considerations.
Human Resources: Approval was given by the Board for Cypress College to hire Mercedes Milner and Gail St. Aubin both as Special Projects Coordinators/Credit for Prior Learning. Congratulations!
Chancellor Staff Comments:
Chancellor Byron D. Clift Breland reported that on March 6-7, 2025, the A2MEND District charter attended the annual A2MEND Summit with a delegation of 12 students. The Charter will hold a panel to speak about what they learned at the Summit during Black Student Success Week on April 22, 2025, from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Cypress College Legacy Center. He highlighted Entrepreneurship Week at Fullerton College from March 10-14, 2025, featuring renowned Business Mentor David Ochi. Students from every campus are invited to participate. Dr. Breland thanked Trustee Evangelina Rosales for hosting the “Dining for Dollars” fundraising event at her home and thanked the Friends of Fullerton Foundation members, attendees, donors, and volunteers. Attendees included various community members, District staff, Board members, and the Mayor of La Habra Rose Espinoza. Lastly, he reported that Trustee Stephen T. Blount is recovering well from his surgery and is expected to return to Board of Trustee meetings in mid-April.
North Orange Continuing Education President Valentina Purtell wished everyone a happy Women’s History Month and highlighted the “extraordinary women who contribute to the advancement of [NOCE] in countless ways.” She noted that all NOCE faculty leaders and most managers are women, calling them “a testament to the strength, expertise, and leadership in the NOCE community.” She recognized District Management Association President Karla Frizler, NOCE Academic Senate President Michelle Patrick-Norng, Adjunct Faculty United President Marlo Smith, and CSEA President Elaine Loayza for their leadership and commitment. NOCE Director of Research and Planning Dulce Delgadillo was awarded the California Community College Women’s Caucus (CCCWC) “Rising Star” award. A new Student Navigator program has been implemented to strengthen retention through 1:1 intervention which led to a 10% increase in CTE and 9% increase in basic needs according to preliminary research thanks to Student Services Coordinator Maria Hernandez. The NOCE Communications team of Director of Campus Communications Jennifer Perez, Communications Specialist Jayzelle Mata, and Web Content Specialist Nancy Flores put on a Power Up Resource Fair which was a success.
Fullerton College President Dr. Cynthia Olivo thanked Trustee Evangelina Rosales for hosting the “Dining for Dollars” event and for covering the expenses for the event as well as for helping set the event up and feeding the volunteers. She also thanked Executive Director of the Friends of Fullerton Foundation and Community Relations Janeth Manjarrez for her vision, and Fullerton College Faculty Senate President Bridget Kominek for her donation to the event from her family’s business, Villain’s Brewery. All the money raised from “Dining for Dollars” will go toward Spring scholarships. Dr. Olivio thanked Library Assistant Chynna Barnett, Library Assistant Sandra Avalos and Librarian Monique Delatte Starkey for attending the CCC Women’s Caucus event. She also thanked attendees of the Herstory Month: Confessions of a Firework by Angela Aguirre author event. Last month Fullerton College opened the new Rising Scholars Center with over 100 attendees at the ribbon cutting ceremony and Dr. Olivo thanked Special Project Administrator Aisha Kitchen and Department Chair of Ethnic Studies Dr. Ziza Delgado for their work to grow the program. She thanked Interim VP of Student Services Elizabeth Martinez for planning a student services in-service last week with almost 200 attendees. Dr. Olivio thanked Special Projects Manager Marshall Johnson for arranging for Fullerton College’s A2MEND team to attend the annual summit.
Cypress College President Dr. Scott Thayer reported that on the morning of March 14, 2025, Cypress College will host a KinderCaminata event and expects over 900 kindergarten students to visit the campus. Later that night, the new production of Hello Dolly! will have its opening night and Dr. Thayer thanked the theatre crew and Associate Professor Donny Jackson and Faculty Emeritus Jim Hormel for their work on the production. This Saturday, March 15, 2025, the 50th anniversary Americana Awards will be held at the Westin Anaheim with 600+ guests expected. This year’s Americana Awards’ “Person of the Year” is Former Lakers Player A.C. Green. Dr. Thayer thanked the Cypress College Foundation for their work organizing this fundraiser.
RESOURCE TABLE
NOCE Academic Senate President Michelle Patrick-Norng reported that North Orange Continuing Education Academic Senate approved items related to Distance Education; the NOCE Poker Process; and the 2024-2026 Distance Education Handbook. She thanked the Distance Education Committee Chair Corrina Lopez, members of the committee, and Senators who contributed to the process. NOCE Faculty is looking forward to the AI Expo on April 16, 2025. Patrick-Norng thanked Faculty leaders at Cypress College and Fullerton College for sharing their initial drafts for policies on AI use to facilitate students and maintain academic integrity. The NOCE Senate looks forward to strengthening their organization as more faculty are nominated and elected to open positions.
Cypress College Academic Senate President Kathleen McAlister reported that the Senate is participating in several work groups. The Senate approved an AI policy in the fall and are working to make it a student-facing policy as well as working to update syllabi to require an AI policy statement. Lastly, the Senate is discussing the latest Winter Intercession MOU.
United Faculty President Christie Diep reminded the Board that while the scheduling of Intercession is under Board purview, the Faculty Union must be consulted on the process.
California School Employees Association President Elaine Loayza updated that negotiations are ongoing but coming to a close and the Union is hoping for a resolution to the IT Job Family Studies negotiations. The CSEA Chapter logo design contest will enter the voting phase. She thanked the CSEA Board and members for their hard work.
BOARD REPORTS
North Orange Continuing Education Student Trustee Robert Johnson wished everyone a happy Women’s History Month. NOCE held a Power Up Resource Fair to teach students about all the resources offered to students and community members with over 250 attendees. In response to requests for more community building opportunities, two new clubs have formed: NOCE United Student Club, led by Advisor Counselor Marcela Mendoza and the Christian Club led by Student Leader Kristine Nacu which had more than 30 students sign an interest form for with many of them attending the first meeting later in the week. He gave a shoutout and thank you to Fullerton College’s Dr. Vicki Calhoun, who visits the Anaheim Campus every Thursday and spends time in NOCE’s Career Skills and Resource Lab to assist NOCE students with their questions or applications to transition to Fullerton College. He closed out his report by inviting everyone to the upcoming Building Trauma-Informed Communities Conference on Friday, April 11 from 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the Knott’s Hotel in Buena Park. Attendees will hear from experts in healthcare, child development, psychology, and education. Interested parties can register at: www.noce.edu/parenting-events
Trustee Mark Lopez reported on his attendance at the Fullerton College men’s basketball game on March 1, 2025, against Southwestern College where The Hornets won 70-67 and thanked Dr. Olivo for the invitation.
Trustee Evangelina Rosales spoke about hosting the “Dining for Dollars” event stating, “Especially in times like this, our students need our support as much as possible.” She thanked Fullerton College Administrative Assistants Shauna Fisher and Bailey Matsumoto and Interim Executive Director of the Friends of Fullerton College Foundation Janeth Manjarrez for their work at the event. She thanked NOCE President Valentina Purtell and Vice President of Administrative Services Henry Hua for attending the event and Cypress College Foundation Executive Director Howard Kummerman for his collaboration. Joining the Friends of Fullerton College Foundation Board are Community Enrollment Services Officer Dr. Vicki Calhoun as Board Vice President, Dr. Anna Corral as Board Secretary, Fullerton College Psychology Professor Emeritus Dr. JoAnne Brannock as Board Director and Dean of the Fullerton College Library Emeritus John Ayala as a member. In closing, she wished everyone a happy International Women’s Day in honor of her mother, grandmother, daughter, and future granddaughter.
Board Vice President Dr. Barbara Dunsheath is excited to see everyone at Americana and pointed everyone to a resource center on the California Women’s League’s (CAWL) website if they are struggling with concerns over the recent executive orders. She congratulated NOCE Director of Research and Planning Dulce Delgadillo on her “Rising Star” Award from the CCCWC and thanked District Director of Public & Governmental Affairs Kai Stearns for her support in helping the event happen.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Vice President of the Classified Senate at Fullerton College Antoinette Triefenbach shared that she has been in the District for almost ten years and stressed the importance of negotiating in good faith. She expressed her concern for longevity pay and how important it is to pay classified employees for the talent that they contribute to the District.
Fullerton College Classified Theatre Employee Victor Amaya stated his support for the IT department and commended the IT department on their dedication and loyalty to the District and its staff and students. He also expressed his concern about the potential loss of longevity and the inability for some to climb the monetary ladder in the department.
Fullerton College Student Bianca Stopani expressed some concerns regarding healthy food options and voluntary work.
NEXT MEETING
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the NOCCCD Board of Trustees will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at the Anaheim Union High School District Board Room.
Board Highlights is produced by NOCCCD Public & Governmental Affairs as a summary of the Board actions and reports. It is not intended as a replacement of the official minutes of the Board meeting. For more information on the NOCCCD Board of Trustees, please visit the website.
