When and where does the President's Cabinet meet?
How can I learn what is on the cabinet's agenda, or suggest items to be placed on the agenda?
Is it possible for me to know what topics are being discussed during cabinet meetings?
What kind of decisions does the cabinet make and how do they differ from those of the HMC Board of Trustees?
What is the President’s Cabinet role in creating the college’s budget?

When and where does the President’s Cabinet meet?
The President’s Cabinet typically meets weekly in the President’s Office (Kingston 201) and periodically holds full-day retreats to set goals and strengthen teamwork.

How can I learn what is on the cabinet’s agenda, or suggest items to be placed on the agenda?
Ask the vice president responsible for your department or unit. If you have an issue that you feel needs cabinet discussion, share it with your vice president so that she or he can determine if should be placed on the agenda, if it can be resolved within your department or if it’s more appropriate to bring it to the attention of another decision-making body on campus (e.g., the Department Chairs Committee [DCC] or Associated Students of Harvey Mudd College [ASHMC]). Faculty members may also want to talk with their department chair as well as their VP, the Dean of the Faculty.

Is it possible for me to know what topics are being discussed during cabinet meetings?
The vice president responsible for your department or unit, or someone he or she designates, should keep you informed of what issues are discussed at cabinet meetings when appropriate. Many items on the cabinet agenda are sensitive and need to be kept confidential for reasons that might include: laws governing personnel or student records; information that another person, department or organization has asked not be shared with the community; or information that if made public might have a deleterious effect on negotiations that are underway.

What kinds of decisions does the cabinet make and how do they differ from those of the board of trustees?
Ultimate fiduciary responsibility for the college rests with the board of trustees, to whom the president reports. As such, the board is responsible for advising the college and for making large-scale policy decisions that will affect the college’s future. The cabinet makes decisions on matters of policy that relate to the day-to-day operations of the college. The cabinet also makes recommendations to the board of trustees in order to assist them with their decision-making processes.

What is the President’s Cabinet role in creating the college’s budget?
The College’s budget process is managed by the Treasurer. An incremental budget approach is used in generating the operating budget. The process begins with the President’s Cabinet, which engages in discussion with each of their respective areas of budgetary responsibility. Each respective cabinet member communicates with their team members, department chairs and/or support staff to obtain their thoughts on additions/modifications to the budget. The cabinet member submits these requests to the Treasurer’s office, which are then discussed by the cabinet, who determines those items that are to be included in program changes. Then, using the current fiscal year budget, adjusted for program changes or other special circumstances, and applying drivers/factors/growth rates to this adjusted roll forward base, a new fiscal year operating budget is calculated.

Budget assumptions are discussed by the President’s Cabinet, the Faculty Budget Committee (FBC), and the Trustee Budget and Financial Planning Committee (BFPC) in creating the next fiscal year operating budget. Adjustments to assumptions, which are needed to bring the operating budget into balance, are incorporated into the budget proposal that is reviewed by the President’s Cabinet, the FBC, and Trustee BFPC. After the final review at the BFPC April meeting, the BFPC recommends the budget proposal to the Board of Trustees for their approval. Once approved by the Board of Trustees, the Business Affairs Office communicates with the college departments regarding the approved budget for the new fiscal year.

For additional inquiries, please email your questions to cabinet@hmc.edu.