Cypress College alumnus and NBA record holder Swen Nater will be on campus to share his story "Rebounding in Life" on Friday, March 1.

The presentation will take place at 9 a.m. in Business-203. It is open to all and free of charge.

Nater still holds the all-time National Basketball Association record for defensive rebounds in one-half, at 18, and he is tenth all-time in rebounds per minute played. He was also the American Basketball Association rebound champion in 1975 and the NBA champ in 1980.

Among other records, he is still the California Community College all-time rebound leader at 492 in a single season and 39 in one game. The former Milwaukee Bucks center also holds that franchise's single-game rebound record, at 33.

These statistics are especially notable considering Nater didn't make his high school team and, following his time at Cypress College, sat the bench at UCLA — playing behind Bill Walton, one of the game's greatest centers ever, and for the legendary John Wooden.

Further, Nater recounts having an abusive step-father who beat him regularly, applied severe mental and physical punishment, and would not approve extra-school activities.

Nater began playing basketball as a freshman at Cypress College, becoming an All-America selection in his second year. After he was recruited to UCLA, Nater moved to the ABA, where he was honored as the league's Rookie of the Year.

He is the only player to have lead both the ABA and the NBA in rebounding.

Nater's presentation has inspired thousands to take charge when bad things happen. Quoting his former coach Wooden: "Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out."

Despite the serious subject, Nater's presentation is filled with humor and levity.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

Maryum "May May" Ali the eldest daughter of Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali will be on campus Tuesday February 26, 2013, from 7-9 p.m., presenting in Humanities 131.

Ali is the author of "I Shook Up the World: The Incredible Life of Muhammad Ali." She will be lecturing on her book and sharing her view of growing up with "The Greatest" dad and the numerous lessons she has learned.

This Black History Month event is sponsored by the Cypress College Diversity Committee.

It is opened to the campus community and all students are encouraged to attend!

Posted by Marc S. Posner

Cypress College alumnus Trevor Hoffman — who retired from the San Diego Padres as Major League Baseball's all-time saves leader — is being honored by the Cypress College Foundation as the Man of the Year at the 38th Annual Americana Awards. The Americana Awards, sponsored by Union Bank, N.A., will be held on Saturday, February 23, 2013 in the Disneyland Hotel's Grand Ballroom.

Hoffman is being recognized along with Citizens of the Year from the eight communities in Cypress College's primary service area. They are: Becky Areias (Anaheim); Dale Eichman (Buena Park); Haze Saliture (Cypress); Bill Dalton (Garden Grove); John Alvis (La Palma), Theresa Murphy (Los Alamitos/Rossmoor); Esther Cummings (Seal Beach); and David Ronnenberg (Stanton).

Kaiser Permanente will be honored as the Foundation's Distinguished Business Partner.

During his 18-year MLB career, Hoffman was selected for the All-Star team seven times and twice he was the runner-up for the National League Cy Young Award. He retired with Major League Baseball records of fifteen 20-save seasons, fourteen 30-save seasons and nine 40-save seasons. He also retired with the highest career strikeout rate of any reliever. In addition, he was the first player to reach the 500 and 600-save milestones and was the all-time saves leader from 2006 to 2011.

While he works hard to help others, Hoffman puts his family first. He and his wife, Tracy, enjoy the outdoors and playing baseball, basketball, beach volleyball as well as surfing with their three sons: Brody, 16, Quinn, 14, and Wyatt, 12.

"Trevor is truly a special person on and off the field, and will definitely be a Hall of Famer in baseball and truly is Hall of Fame caliber as a person. If you talk to any of his teammates, they have glowing reviews of him as a man," said his friend and Cypress College coach, Scott Pickler.

Born in Bellflower and now a resident of Rancho Santa Fe, Hoffman has been heavily involved in the local community since joining the Padres in 1993. Due to his own history of kidney problems, he has worked extensively with the National Kidney Foundation as well as with the Rady Children's Hospital, where he has visited the children for decades and helped raise funds to improve the facility.

Hoffman also donates his time and resources to the Padres Scholars program, the San Diego Family Justice Center and numerous military outreach programs. He is especially involved in raising funds to provide scholarships to local kids through the Marine Corps Scholarship Fund.

His efforts in the community as well as for baseball have brought him several honors. Trevor was the recipient of the Padres Chairman's Award in 1999, given to the player who best exemplifies the community spirit of the club chairman, John Moores and his family. On six different occasions, he was named the local recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award. This award is given annually to a player who demonstrates the values displayed in his commitment to community and understanding the value of helping others.

He was honored in 2006 with the Teammates for Kids Award as well as with the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, presented annually to the Major League baseball player who both on and off the field best exemplifies the character of Lou Gehrig.

In 2008, he received the Branch Rickey Award for humanitarian efforts. Created by the Rotary Club of Denver, the award is a nationally prestigious and coveted honor that recognizes professionals in Major League Baseball for exceptional community service.

NOTE: A full news release is available as a PDF.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

As part of this semester's emergency drill, Cypress College will conduct a campus-wide broadcast of a safety video related to campus shootings. The broadcast can be seen live in the window above. Click to visit the Cypress College page on Ustream. This link is also ideal for mobile browsers.

This semester's emergency-preparation drill tests Cypress College's response to an active shooter on campus. While college officials planned this scenario a year ago, events this year on a number of campuses across the country, and December's tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, are poignant reminders of why we are compelled to take the matter of preparedness seriously.

On Thursday, February 21, we will conduct an active shooter drill in the morning and will repeat the scenario for evening classes. While no amount of planning, practice, or training can ensure a successful outcome in an emergency situation, not taking these steps almost certainly guarantees failure.

Cypress College has told all employees that participation in the drills is mandatory and that no exceptions are being made.

While the thought of someone opening fire on campus is perhaps the most frightening act of violence we can conceive, it is important to place the threat in context. Colleges are very safe environments.

Since Cypress College first conducted an active shooter drill in 2009, a number of safety-related changes, including installation of a speaker system covering the full exterior of the campus, have been made at the college. College leaders are also exploring physical changes to the campus, including the installation of interior broadcast systems (which are being tested in Humanities) and interior door locks.

What's most unsettling about a shooting threat on campus is that the active situation could be over in under a minute. That's insufficient time for mass messaging, or even a response from Campus Safety or the police department. The first line of defense will be individual faculty, staff members, and students.

As part of the drill, we will be broadcasting an international video addressing this issue.

It is incumbent upon all of us to be aware, to report things that are out of the ordinary, that appear suspicious, or involve inappropriate behavior.

More informaiton about the drill, is available here.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

In observance of Presidents' Day, Cypress College will be closed on Friday, February 15, 2013, and Monday, February 18, 2013.

Instruction will resume as scheduled on Tuesday, February 19, 2013.

That is the same day parking enforcement begins. Students are encouraged to visit the Student Center to obtain their semester-length parking permits before the grace period ends.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

Instruction will resume this evening at 6 p.m., after an area power outage this morning prompted class cancellations.

All classes with ending times after 6 p.m. are scheduled to meet, beginning at 6 p.m.

For example: If you have a 4-7 p.m. class, it meets 6-7 tonight; if your class ends at 6 or earlier, it will not meet tonight.

Campus service areas all re-opened earlier this afternoon after Southern California Edison restored electrical power to the campus, and campus staff were able to re-start the electrical systems. That work was completed by approximately 2 p.m.

At about 10:50 this morning, the entire campus, as well as large portions of the City of Cypress and neighboring areas. Some reports indicated sparodic outages reaching as far as Fresno. The early indication shared with the college is that more than 15,000 people were impacted by the outage(s).

Posted by Marc S. Posner

Cypress College alumnus discusses his time at Cypress College. Later this month, he will be honored at the 38th Annual Americana Awards.

Cypress College alumnus Trevor Hoffman — who retired from the San Diego Padres as Major League Baseball's all-time saves leader — is being honored by the Cypress College Foundation as the Man of the Year at the 38th Annual Americana Awards.

The awards will be held on Saturday, February 23, 2013, at the Disneyland Hotel.

In this interview with the @Cypress Channel, Hoffman discusses his professional success, the impact of Cypress College on his career, and his family. Hoffman was interviewed at Petco Park, where his #51 jersey hangs in honor of his achievements with the Padres.

Have a listen to find out why Hoffman thinks highly of Cypress College head baseball coach Scott Pickler, despite the fact that the manager never let him pitch a game.

More information about the Americana Awards is available about the Americana awards at Facebook.com/AmericanaAwards.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

To view this week's edition of @Cypress, click here, or cut and paste this link, to visit the online version of @Cypress.

http://news.cypresscollege.edu/documents/@Cypress-2013-02-08.pdf.

This week's headlines:

• Cypress College 'Opening Day' Meeting Includes 'State of the College'
      > The pre-semester meeting covered enrollment, budget, safety, SLOs, educational equity and outcomes, and student demographics.
• BUDGET CENTRAL: What is 'FTES' Anyway?
• Deadline Extended for Spring Graduation and Vocational Certificates
• Mandatory Spring Emergency-Preparation Drill Scheduled for Morning and Evening of February 21
• "This Week," "Chargers," "Briefly," and "They Said It" Features

@Cypress Bonus:

• Presentatioin on Degree Works on Feb. 27
• Cypress College Nursing Students Work on Rose Parade Nurses Float
• Spring 2013 Emergency Response Workshop
• VIDEO: Alumnus Trevor Hoffman is Americana Man of the Year

Visit http://www.cypresscollege.edu/newsEvents/news/atcypress.aspx to view the complete @Cypress archives if you want to have a look at previous editions.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

The Admissions and Records Office has extended the deadlines for Cypress College students to apply for spring 2013 graduation and spring 2013 vocational certificates.

The revised information is:

• The deadline to apply for spring 2013 graduation at Cypress College has been extended to Monday, February 25, 2013, at 6 p.m.
• The deadline to apply for spring 2013 vocational certificates at Cypress College has been extended to Monday, February 25, 2013, at 6 p.m.

This information is also being shared with students in MyGateway and on the college's social media sites.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

Citizens of the Year from the eight communities in Cypress College's primary service area will be honored at the Cypress College Foundation's 38th Annual Americana Awards. The Americana Awards, sponsored by Union Bank, N.A., will be held on Saturday, February 23, 2013 in the Disneyland Hotel's Grand Ballroom.

Citizens of the Year from the eight cities comprising Cypress College's primary service area are: Becky Areias (Anaheim); Dale Eichman (Buena Park); Haze Saliture (Cypress); Bill Dalton (Garden Grove); John Alvis (La Palma), Theresa Murphy (Los Alamitos/Rossmoor); Esther Cummings (Seal Beach); and David Ronnenberg (Stanton).

Kaiser Permanente will be honored as the Foundation's Distinguished Business Partner, and alumnus Trevor Hoffman, a former San Diego Padres legend, is being honored as the Man of the Year, for his accomplishments as one of Major League Baseball's most-successful pitchers and his work in the community.

About the Citizens of the Year:

Becky Areias, Anaheim — Through four generations, the Hilgenfeld Family has provided compassionate, personal and professional funeral services to the greater Anaheim community. Becky Areias carries on that tradition, volunteering and supporting Anaheim Beautiful, the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce, Arts Council, Altrusa, and the Anaheim YMCA. Moreover, she's a regular volunteer in the day care center at her church. One of her greatest contributions is to "Every 15 Minutes," which, in conjunction with the local police and fire departments, educates high school students regarding the dangers and possible results of driving under the influence. This is done in dramatic fashion, demonstrating to teens the life-and-death consequences of such behavior. In addition, the Hilgenfeld Foundation, established by her grandfather, Melvin, continues its generous support of higher education through grants and scholarships.

Dale Eichman, Buena Park — Dale Eichman is a 25-plus-year resident of Buena Park who has been involved in numerous activities throughout his time in the city. A financial planner, he has been a member of the Buena Park Chamber of Commerce for 10 years, was an officer in the organization for 6 years, and a has been a member of the Buena Park Lions for 15 years (12 of those years as a board member). He has served as general chairman of Silverado Days as well as an executive board member for the annual event. Eichman is a life member of the Southern California Sight and Hearing Foundation, and a volunteer for AYSO, Boy Scouts of America, and Relay for Life.

Haze Saliture, Cypress — Haze Saliture is engaged in a relentless regional campaign on behalf of Mothers Against Drunk Driving — a mission she began in 1994 when her daughter, Allison, was killed by a drunk driver. She is determined to spare others such a horrific loss. Among Saliture's efforts: she helped obtain money from Mitsubishi for the purchase of in-car cameras for the Cypress Police Department; volunteers for all Cypress police DUI checkpoints; serves as a major fundraiser for the MADD Golf Tournament and for other events; and, serves as liaison between MADD and Soroptimist, securing donations in Allison's memory for more than 7 years.

For this work, she has been honored by the Cypress Police Department, was named Cypress Police Association Citizen of the Year, received the "Heart of MADD" Award in 2010, and the Volunteer Center's "Spirit of Volunteerism" Award in 2006.

Bill Dalton, Garden Grove — Prior to serving on the Garden Grove City Council, William "Bill" Dalton was a lieutenant for the Garden Grove Police Department. Mayor Dalton completed his service to the city in November 2012. Dalton has served on the Orange County Sanitation District Operations Committee, the Board of Directors for the Orange County Transportation Authority, was President of Southern California Internal Affairs Investigators Association, and Vice-Chairman of the Garden Grove Housing Commission. He is also a member of the North Orange County Joint Powers Fire Authority, the West Orange County Water Board, the Orange County Office on Aging, and the Orange County Public Library Finance Commission. Finally, Dalton is a member of the Garden Grove Elks Club and the Lions Club, and delivers meals on wheels through the Garden Grove Senior Center.

John Alvis, La Palma — John Alvis is known to young and old throughout his community. A long-time member of Kiwanis, Alvis has served in several leadership positions in the club including president. He is also a former Traffic Safety Committee member and member of the La Palma Volunteers in Policing. But his first passion is education. A retired teacher, Alvis was named Teacher of the Year in 2002 and 2003 at King School, and in 2005 was selected as Outstanding Educator of Orange County by the Orange County Board of Education. He has also served on the Board of the Centralia School District for 17 years. Alvis was President of Cypress Teachers Association, served on the Greater Anaheim Special Education Local Planning Area Board, and was named Outstanding Character Educator of Orange County by the Passkeys Foundation.

Theresa Murphy, Los Alamitos/Rossmoor — Theresa Murphy is well-known and highly respected in the Los Alamitos and Rossmoor communities because of her involvement with Precious Life Shelter, philanthropic work, and countless hours of volunteerism. Precious Life Shelter is a residential supportive services program providing a safe, loving environment for homeless, pregnant, adult women, who have chosen to work toward self-reliance for themselves and their child. In addition to providing leadership for Precious Life as its executive director, Murphy was recently named Woman of the Year by the Cypress Chamber of Commerce, is a member of the Los Alamitos/Seal Beach Rotary Club, participates in the Los Alamitos High School Grad Night, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Los Alamitos and Cypress Chambers of Commerce.

Esther Cummings, Seal Beach — According to one civic leader: "Esther Cummings' commitment to Seal Beach knows no bounds." She has participated in numerous community efforts, working on behalf of the environment as a member of the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge, for which she has received her "1,000 Hour" pin. She has served on the Seal Beach Planning Commission, the Environmental Quality Control Board, and donates her time to various activities at Leisure World. In addition, she donates her sewing skills to the Seal Beach Play Group at the Marina Center. Her greatest contributions likely have been as a volunteer for the Seal Beach Friends of the Library, Mary Wilson Branch. She has been the bookstore manager for 10 years, leading a volunteer "staff" of fifty; under her leadership the bookstore donates more than $10,000 per year to the Library.

David Ronnenberg, Stanton — As President of CR&R Waste and Recycling Services, David Ronnenberg continues his family's legacy of giving back to the local community. The company, and Ronnenberg personally, support numerous organizations throughout the county, including the Boys and Girls Club of Stanton and the Stanton Chamber of Commerce. Meanwhile, CR&R is recognized as one of the region's most innovative and successful recycling and waste collection companies. Thanks to groundbreaking technologies, CR&R recycles over 120,000 tons of materials each year, creating cleaner communities, reducing air and water pollution, conserving landfill space, and extending natural resources. As a result of all these efforts, our community is a better place to live and work.

About the Americana Awards:

Tickets for the Americana Awards are available from the Cypress College Foundation for $225 per person with various sponsorship levels also available. Information is available by calling (714) 484-7126 or at http://www.CypressCollege.edu or http://www.Facebook.com/AmericanaAwards. The evening begins at 5:30 p.m. with no-host cocktails and a silent auction. Dinner is served at 7 p.m.

In July, 2010, Union Bank, N.A., strengthened its partnership with Cypress College, agreeing to serve as the title sponsor of the 2011, 2012 and 2013 Americana Awards. At the 2011 awards, Union Bank extended it's sponsorship through 2015. Union Bank has a long-standing leadership role at the college with representation on the Cypress College Foundation Board of Directors. Union Bank's five-year commitment to Cypress College totals $125,000.

For more information about the Americana Awards, please call the Cypress College Foundation office at (714) 484-7126 or visit: http://www.cypresscollege.edu/about/Foundation/.

NOTE: A full news release is available as a PDF.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

Dr. Bob Simpson, President of Cypress College, presents at the Opening Day meeting in the Cypress College Theater on Friday, February 1, 2013.

Cypress College faculty, staff, and administrators gathered on Friday morning for the regular pre-semester "Opening Day" meeting. The morning's agenda included a "State of the College" presentation by President Dr. Bob Simpson. Also discussed were the enrollment picture, budget, safety and preparedness, Student Learning Outcomes, educational equity and outcomes, and student demographics.

Dr. Simpson shared that following the passage of Prop. 30, Cypress College added more than 1,000 additional spots in class, and the equivalent of 64 additional courses. The college's interim Executive Vice President, Dr. Steve Donley, reported that enrollment is up more than 700 students as of yesterday.

Touching on the budget, Karen Cant, the college's Vice President of Administrative Services, said that — for the first time in five years — the state will not be reducing Cypress College's budget. She also reported that students will not be subjected to increased enrollment fees (these fees are established by the state Legislature).

Cant also discussed the college's upcoming emergency preparation drill. The drill scenario, an active shooter, was planned a year ago, but has taken on additional poignancy in the wake of recent events — including the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December. Both the Cypress Police Department and the Orange County Fire Authority will participate in the drill. The drill is an exercise, but not a simulation (meaning there will be no role playing). You can expect to hear more about the drill as the February 21 date approaches.

Dr. Santanu Bandyopadhyay, the Director of Institutional Research and Planning, and Nancy Deutsch, a faculty member with additional responsibilities as the SLO coordinator, discussed the current status of the college's Student Learning Outcomes. SLOs are a state accountability requirement and a report is due in March.

Paul de Dios, the Dean of Counseling and Student Development, then kicked off a Dialogue on Equity and Outcomes. He was joined by Dr. Rick Rams, Dean of Student Support Services, and Dr. Gil Contreras, the EOPS Manager. Dr. Simpson then furthered the conversation, sharing data that was very thought provoking. Because this topic is key to our Strategic Plan, we'll definitely be sharing more information on an ongoing basis.

Dr. Simpson closed the campus-wide meeting with a look at the demographics and psychographics of the generation of "Digitals" who are now enrolling in college. It was an interesting juxtaposition comparing and contrasting students with employees. The presentation was based in part on the book "Generation on a Tightrope" by Arthur Levine and Diane Dean.

A number of people already have requested the slides from the Opening Day presentation, so we're making those available in a 3.5 mb PDF file.

Posted by Marc S. Posner

Classes are about to begin — kicking off on the morning of Monday, February 4, 2012. For those who were here last semester, there's no doubt it has been a long break.

To help get back in the swing of things, most offices have extended hours next week. You can view the service-area hours here.

Here's our the best piece of advice we can offer: do not miss your first class and allow plenty of time for parking so you are not late.

If you need help determining what books to purchase, you can find all that information by clicking on the CRN in your individual MyGateway class schedule, or by searching for the course in the searchable class schedule.

To facilitate distribution of parking permits, there is a two-week grace period for parking, from February 4, 2013 through February 16, 2013. Students may park in student spaces without a permit. A valid parking permit is required beginning February 19, 2013.

Please note: There will be parking enforcement for all other violations during the grace period.

Students who purchased parking permits prior to January 27 (and student I.D. stickers) will have those items mailed to them. Those who did not will need to obtain the items at Line B in the Student Center.

Students wishing to have their student I.D. pictures taken can do so on the first floor of the Student Center. It is important to bring along a valid photo ID and your "schedule bill" printout from MyGateway. Student ID cards must be purchased in advance, either online or from Line B.

Have a great start to the semester, and remember: everyone is here to help.

Posted by Marc S. Posner