Cypress College

Cypress College
Established	1966
Type	Public Community College
Location	Cypress, California, USA
President	Michael J. Kasler, Ed.D.
Website	http://www.cypresscollege.edu

Cypress College is a community college located in Cypress, California. Opened on September 12, 1966 , the southern California college offers a variety of general education (51 associates degrees), transfer courses (58 transfer majors), and 141 vocational programs leading to Associate's degrees and certificates.

Overview

Cypress College's student population is nearly 17,000 per semester, though that number has fluctuated (currently experiencing historically high levels and going as low as 12,500) in recent years based on the level of state funding provided and other economic factors. The college features a strong mix of ethnic diversity in its student population: 33% are Caucasian, 27% are Latinos, 19% are Asian/Pacific Islander, 8% are Filipino, 6% are African American, and 5% are from other ethnicities or their ethnicity is unidentified.

Fees at Cypress College are established by the California State Legislature. Currently, in-state enrollment fees are $26 per unit (credit hour), with the average class costing $78. The college administers more than $12 million in financial aid annually.

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 campus, covering an area of 440,000 square meters, was designed by architect Frank Lawyer of the Austin, 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 school's 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 Block entertainment complex (about 10 miles). The campus is 12 miles from the beach and is proximus to Long Beach, California and Los Angeles. The campus is located at 9200 Valley View Street in the city of Cypress.

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

Programs

Aviation

Airline and Travel Careers

Automotive Technology

Cypress College's Automotive Technology program is one of the premier automotive training programs in California. Students in this program can receive certificates and degrees in over 10 areas of study. Cypress College has been in partnership with Toyota Motor Sales in the Toyota Technician Training and Education Network (Toyota T-TEN) since 1988 to provide students an opportunity to work towards job placement as a trained technician at Toyota and Lexus dealerships in southern California. Graduates of this program are also working in the community as technicians and shop owners. With five full time instructors and six adjunct instructors, our faculty has the experience and certification to offer the best in Automotive training. Visit the facility and judge for yourself.

Registered Nursing

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.^[1] Approximately 24% of students fail the RN program.

Mortuary Science

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. Two fictitious characters on the hit HBO program Six Feet Under were written in as graduates of the Cypress College program because of its stature in the industry.

International Students

International students are required to show proof of English ability before being accepted into the school. Students can demonstrate their English ability either by taking the TOEFL test, or by completing an ESL program at a school with which the college has a transfer agreement. This sort of agreement is also called "TOEFL Waiver".

Notable alumni

• Jason Bates - Colorado Rockies - Major League Baseball Player
• Brian Downing - California Angels - Major League Baseball Player
• Ben Francisco - Philadelphia Phillies
• Keith Ginter - Oakland Athletics - Major League Baseball Player
• Charles Gipson - Major League Baseball Player
• Vince Hizon - Professional basketball player
• Trevor Hoffman - San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers- Major League Baseball Pitcher
• Geri Jewell - Actor & comedian best known for roles on the television program The Facts of Life and HBO's Deadwood
• Gerald Laird - Texas Rangers - Major League Baseball Player
• Steven Lee - Multi Platinum Music Producer
• Pat Martin - radio personality, Sacramento KRXQ
• Keith McDonald - Major League Baseball Player
• David Newhan - Houston Astros -Major League Baseball Player (attended)
• Augie Ojeda - Arizona Diamondbacks - Major League Baseball Player
• Jeff Patterson - New York Yankees - Major League Baseball Player
• Taylor Rain - pornographic actress
• Chris Klosterman - NY Yankees draftee, Frontier League All Star - Indie Minor League All Star, Graphic artist to stars
• Greg Smith - Movie & Television Star
• Steve Smyth - Chicago Cubs - Major League Baseball Player
• Gwen Stefani - singer, No Doubt
• Eric Stefani - musician, formerly of No Doubt
• Cory Sullivan - Houston Astros - Major League Baseball Player
• Jason Vargas - Seattle Mariners - Major League Baseball Pitcher

Cypress College campus presidents

• Dan Walker, 1966–1970
• 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–present

¹ Served in an interim capacity.

National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium

Main article: National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium

This Community College is a NAFTC's Training Center.

References

1. ^ http://www.rn.ca.gov/schools/passrates.shtml

External links

• Cypress College
• Cypress College Library
• Cypress College Podcast
• Cypress College @Cypress weekly newsletter
• Cypress College Campus News (Official Site)
• Cypress Chronicle (student newspaper)
• Cypress College Radio (Official Site)
• California BRN

Coordinates: 33°49′43″N 118°01′31″W / 33.828523°N 118.025211°W / 33.828523; -118.025211