Board Highlights 4/8/2025

Chancellor’s Report: Chancellor Byron D. Clift Breland provided updates on legislative advocacy efforts, including a recent trip to Sacramento where his team attended 10 meetings in one day to advocate for District priorities such as noncredit education and funding support. He thanked NOCE President Valentina Purtell, District Director of Public & Governmental Affairs Kai Stearns, and Vice Chancellor of Finance & Facilities Fred Williams for their leadership during these efforts.

Highlights from the Recognition of the Fullerton College Men’s Basketball Team: The Fullerton College men’s basketball team was celebrated for their outstanding season. Head Coach Perry Webster was honored as Coach of the Year, and standout player Joe Grahavik was recognized as the California Player of the Year.

Highlights from the Fullerton College “State of the College” Presentation: Fullerton College President Dr. Cynthia Olivo presented key accomplishments and updates, including:
•    Featured on Amazon Prime’s The College Tour series.
•    Recognition as one of the top 100 community colleges in the nation by the U.S. Department of Education.
•    Seven-year reaccreditation status earned from ACCJC with accommodation.
•    Enrollment increases: +6% in Fall 2024 and +8% total student headcount growth.
•    The launch of four new centers: APIDA Center, Puente Center, Rising Scholars Center, and MESA/STEM Center.
•    Introduction of a Healthy Hornet Meal Deals program that has distributed over 134,473 meals to students in need this year.
•    Secured two donations of $178,000 from the same donor to the Friends of Fullerton Foundation.
•    Upcoming projects such as the Chapman Newell Building opening in June 2025 and a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Performing Arts Center in Fall 2025.

BOARD ACTIONS

The Board of Trustees acted on agenda items, including those highlighted below.

•    Moises Sandoval was officially seated as the new Interim Student Trustee representing Cypress College.
•    The Board unanimously approved updates to Cypress College and Fullerton College curriculum.
•    Trustees voted on candidates for the 2025 CCCT Board of Directors election.
Human Resources: Approval was given by the Board for the retirement of Fullerton College’s Health Education Instructor David Dorado and Cypress College’s Facilities Custodian II Martin Santos. Cypress College was approved to hire Juan Carmona as a Special Projects Coordinator/Credit for Prior Learning. NOCE was approved to hire Kaitlin Kearney as a Special Projects Coordinator, DSS Workforce Project. Congratulations to all!

Chancellor Staff Comments:

North Orange Continuing Education President Valentina Purtell shared that the Office of Institutional Research and Planning (OIRP) team of Dr. Harpreet Uppal, Dulce Delgadillo, Jason Makabali, and Alvin Makabali received an Honorable Mention from the Research Planning group for their report “From Enrollment to Completion: Exploring Noncredit Time to Completion.” Their work will be showcased across the IRPE field and was recognized at the 2025 RP Conference in early April in San Francisco. She introduced the new Technical Assistance Coordinator for CC TAP Programs Lisa Mednick. She also shared the passing of Dennis Devino, who served the District for over 30 years and founded several programs to support students that are still running today.

Fullerton College President Dr. Cynthia Olivo reported that the French Film Festival will feature participation from local high schools and handmade berets created by students under Technology & Engineering Instructor Rachel Nevarez’s guidance. The California Community College Black Student Success Week webinars will be streamed at the campus with refreshments provided to attendees. An Earth Day Symposium featuring a solar panel ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of new centers is planned for April 22, 2025, from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. in Building 2400, Room 107 featuring Director of Climate Policy at the Roosevelt Institute and one of the minds behind the Green New Deal, Rhiana Gunn-Wright.

Cypress College President Dr. Scott Thayer thanked Chancellor Byron D. Clift Breland for hosting the Chancellor Connect event on Cypress College’s campus and shared upcoming events like Yom HaShoah on April 10, 2025, from 7:00 p.m.- 8:30 p.m. and the fourth annual Veteran’s Resource Center 5K on May 5, 2025, at 11:30 a.m. at the VRC and is held in collaboration with the Puente Club. Cypress College is partnering with Active Minds for “Send Silence Packing,” a suicide prevention installation, on April 23, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Gateway Plaza. He closed out his report offering congratulations to the new Interim Cypress College Student Trustee Moises Sandoval.

RESOURCE TABLE

District Management Association President Karla Frizler shared updates on collaborations with CSEA and announced that DMA is seeking a new president-elect for 2025.

California School Employees Association President Elaine Loayza clarified her previous comments regarding longevity pay and reiterated concerns about compensation keeping up with inflation.

BOARD REPORTS

North Orange Continuing Education Student Trustee Robert Johnson shared his experiences at the Student Senate for California Community College General Assembly.

Fullerton College Student Trustee Sharon Kim reported on resolutions passed at the SSCCC General Assembly, including one supporting Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) communities and another expanding access to bachelor’s degrees at community colleges. She also shared her acceptance to the UC Irvine Honors program.

Cypress College Interim Student Trustee Moises Sandoval also reported on his attendance to the SSCCC General Assembly and that Cypress College students helped co-write five different resolutions and presented three different workshops. He personally presented a workshop on inclusivity and accessibility. On April 15, 2025, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the World Fest event will be held outside of the Student Life and Leadership building.

Trustee Mark Lopez expressed gratitude for being able to visit various campus sites alongside Chancellor Byron D. Clift Breland and Vice Chancellor of Finance & Facilities Fred Williams.

Trustee Evangelina Rosales welcomed the new Student Trustee Moises Sandoval.

Trustee Stephen T. Blount provided an update on his recovery from his injury.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Former CSEA President Rod Lusch presented a statement advocating for longevity pay.

CSEA Representative Aaron Pilkey shared concerns about employee compensation keeping pace with inflation.

Fullerton College Student Hoang Ho spoke in support of CSEA staff.

NEXT MEETING

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the NOCCCD Board of Trustees will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22, 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.