The latest news from the North Orange County Community College District.

The North Orange County Community College District (NOCCCD) hosted the "AI Expo 2025: Empowering Minds" event at Cypress College on April 16, drawing an enthusiastic crowd of 500 students, faculty, staff, and community members. Attendees enjoyed networking, lunch, a scavenger hunt, and an engaging keynote about the transformative role AI will play in education by UC Berkeley and Stanford professor, Dr. Christyna Serrano on behalf of PlayLab, a sandbox for AI app generation.

The Expo featured hands-on workshops on AI for lesson planning, accessibility issues, ethical considerations, and custom chatbots, plus insights from UCI and Element 451. The event culminated in a "Prompt-A-Thon," where teams tackled campus challenges with AI, earning awards for creativity and innovation. The Expo showcased how AI is revolutionizing learning, teaching, and careers with a focus on ethical implementation.

The capstone event to Fullerton College’s celebration of Earth Week was a ribbon cutting ceremony for the installation of new solar panels on April 25, 2025. A three-year long project, these solar panels are the first of their kind throughout all the North Orange County Community College District (NOCCCD). 

The ceremony included remarks from Interim Director of Sustainability, Tyler Deacy, President Dr. Cynthia Olivo, and representatives from ForeFront Power, Fullerton College’s partner for this project. NOCCCD Board of Trustee Secretary Dr. Barbara Dunsheath was also in attendance along with other Hornet and District leaders.  

The Fullerton College solar panels are located in Parking Lot 5. Set to generate 1.8 million kWh of clean, renewable energy each year, the panels hold enough electricity to entirely offset the 800 and 400 buildings. 

North Orange Continuing Education (NOCE) recently released its 2024/25 Annual Report, a reflection of the noncredit institution’s collective accomplishments over the past year. The report highlights the meaningful impact of NOCE’s work in advancing its mission to transform lives through education.

As stated by NOCE President Valentina Purtell: “At NOCE we believe education is a bridge to new opportunities. Every day we witness how access to learning transforms lives, opening doors to career readiness, economic empowerment, and personal fulfillment.”

In a brand-new collaboration with John Wayne Airport (JWA), Cypress College Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) faculty and students will have their art and photo work displayed in the baggage claim area until August 2025.

The exhibition in the Community Focus Space Gallery is titled “The Collective Self” and features approximately 30 pieces. As stated in John Wayne Airport’s press release, “Through this partnership, JWA helps showcase how VAPA provides a dynamic environment for students to grow their creative capacities, sharpen their critical thinking, and build the foundational skills needed for careers across the visual and performing arts.”

In addition to the visual art exhibition, Cypress College will have a small performance at the airport on May 16, 2025 to showcase the creative talent of the Performing Arts Department. The event is free and open to the public. 

To find out more about the exhibition, please visit the Cypress College Art Department's webpage.

As the 2024-25 academic year comes to a close, NOCCCD honored almost 20 faculty members for achieving tenure at the Tuesday, April 29, 2025 Board of Trustees meeting.

Achieving tenure is an indication of an individual’s deep dedication to the pursuit of knowledge and advancement of academia for the future generations. The road to tenure status is not a simple one: after a prospective faculty member has obtained a tenure-track position, they have limited number of years to compile an extensive portfolio of publications, research, or other materials that showcase their commitment to their area of study. Even after that, their submitted portfolio must go through a meticulous application process. 

Learn more about all of our new tenured faculty members in our latest news article.

NOCCCD Board of Trustee meetings are held twice a month. The Board gathers to address District business including: staffing changes, fiscal matters, the passing of Board Policies, and other issues affecting Cypress College, Fullerton College, and NOCE.

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Published by the NOCCCD Public Affairs Department.