Dr. Kasler Tells Campus Community He’ll Retire at Semester’s End

Things were rolling along quite well in the summer of 2007. For some perspective on just how long ago that was, the first iPhone had just shipped, the Anaheim Ducks were the newly crowned Stanley Cup champions, and the cost to attend community college had recently dipped to $20 per unit.

Another significant milestone that summer: Dr. Mike Kasler became the 10th president of Cypress College.

This morning, 4 1/2 years later, Dr. Kasler announced at a campus-wide employee meeting that this will be his last semester at the college after nearly 20 years on the campus. Continue reading “Dr. Kasler Tells Campus Community He’ll Retire at Semester’s End”

Wildcats Hockey Club Dons Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

When the nearly 200 Wildcats Hockey Club players hit the ice to open their season this weekend, they did so clad in the pinkest of pink jerseys.

Published: October 4, 2011 | Wildcats Hockey Club and picked up by multiple news organizations.
This is a favorite because the cause hits close to home and because I think it’s important to my boys (and other athletes) to understand the privilege they have and to help promote awareness. In addition, this news release generated good coverage for the club — including a nice spread with multiple photographs in the Orange County Register — so it was successful in meeting our goals.

That’s a pretty bold statement from a group of kids playing in such a tough sport. But, it’s done with good reason.

All 13 teams in the Wildcats Hockey Club agreed to participate in the month-long “Wildcats Hockey Loves Moms: Shooting for a Cure 2011” awareness event. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Wildcats efforts also coincide with the National Hockey League’s Hockey Fights Cancer awareness campaign. Continue reading “Wildcats Hockey Club Dons Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month”

Pitcher Drafted by MLB Oakland A’s

This year’s Major League Baseball draft featured two Chargers: an outfielder named Fields and a pitcher named Pitcher.

Published: June 13, 2011 | @Cypress Online
I dig this lede. Perhaps it’s a no-brainer decision to play on the players’ names, but I still like the execution.

Sophomore Travis Pitcher, a 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher, was selected by the Oakland A’s with their final pick in last week’s Major League Baseball draft. He joins fellow Charger Arby Fields, who was selected by the San Diego Padres (see story below). Continue reading “Pitcher Drafted by MLB Oakland A’s”

Accreditation Team Commends ‘Espirit de Corps’ of Cypress College

Cypress College’s site visit concluded yesterday with a 12:30 Exit Meeting and Oral Report to the Campus. During the meeting, Dr. Lori Gaskin, who chaired the 12-member team, shared both commendations and recommendations.

The shining moment, however, came at the close of the half-hour meeting with Dr. Gaskin talking about the pride members of the campus community have in Cypress College.

“I would like to conclude with perhaps the most powerful commendation. One that was pervasive, shared by nearly everyone with whom we had the pleasure of interacting. We describe it as your espirit de corps — your strong belief in a common purpose to serve the educational needs of your students; and the fact that you carry out this common goal with a strong sense of camaraderie and joy. You live and breathe your core values of collegiality, integrity, excellence and inclusiveness.” Continue reading “Accreditation Team Commends ‘Espirit de Corps’ of Cypress College”

Cypress College Successful in $3.25 Million Grant Application

We learned yesterday that Cypress College was successful in its recent application for a federal Title V grant. The $3.25 million in funding will be used to enhance student support services in math, English, ESL and reading, among other programs. The grant is available to designated Hispanic Serving Institutions such as Cypress College. Continue reading “Cypress College Successful in $3.25 Million Grant Application”

Cypress College Above Capacity as First Census Enrollment at 16,444

Students are filling up every available seat — and then some — as the fall semester kicks off at Cypress College. In fact, the college is technically over capacity, as were the preponderance of individual courses.

Cypress College’s unduplicated headcount at first census for the fall semester is 16,444. The figure represents a 1.4% drop from the 16,670 during fall 2009. However, the college cut the number of sections offered from 1,443 to 1,379, a 4.4% reduction. The enrollment is an indicator of both the strong demand for our classes and the college’s ability to do more with less.

The college-wide fill rate was also above 105%, or 5% greater than the number of seats available. Continue reading “Cypress College Above Capacity as First Census Enrollment at 16,444”

Alumnus Rodney Munoz Honored with an Emmy Award

Theater/ Dance alumnus Rodney Munoz was honored with an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Costumes for a Variety/Music Program or a Special. He earned the Emmy for his work on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

Prior to working on the Jimmy Kimmel show Munoz spent many years in New York heading the costume department for the “David Letterman Show.” Continue reading “Alumnus Rodney Munoz Honored with an Emmy Award”

Stupid Criminal Trick Ends at GWC When Suspect Runs Into Teacher/Cop

You have to die to earn a Darwin Award, so a man arrested this week at Golden West College doesn’t exactly qualify. But he certainly gets an honorable mention. For those who don’t know, the Darwin Awards — made popular through vast e-mail circulation — are granted to those who remove their genes from the societal pool by committing stupid acts.

Golden West College
Copy by Marc S. Posner
October 29, 1996
Release: 96-58
This story appeared on an episode of “America’s Dumbest Criminals” thanks to a connection one of the officers had and this release. To pump up the farce factor, a stick-figure drawing illustrated the suspect’s attempted escape path. I love that we were able to jam comedy into this piece.

The 21-year-old Garden Grove man was apprehended on Wednesday afternoon after botching a purse-snatching attempt by escaping from a supermarket parking lot into the training compound of a police academy at a neighboring college. Continue reading “Stupid Criminal Trick Ends at GWC When Suspect Runs Into Teacher/Cop”

Election-Night Gala Scheduled by Students at Golden West College

Forget those ritzy bashes held by political party big wigs in upscale Orange County hotels. Students at Golden West College can attend an election-night gala on November 5 in the Student Activities Office on the GWC campus.

Golden West College
Copy by Marc S. Posner
October 29, 1996
Release: 96-58
One reason this is a favorite is because it was part of NBC’s national network coverage of election night in 1996 — one of a small number of stops for a package by Mike Boettcher on the Nightly News with Tom Brokaw. The other reason it’s a favorite is because I learned from it; I was initially reluctant to publicize the event because I didn’t see news value in it. I was pressed to reconsider, and the results speak volumes.

Continue reading “Election-Night Gala Scheduled by Students at Golden West College”