Board of Trustees Update, May 28, 2025

College Community:

The Harvey Mudd College Board of Trustees held its May meeting on May 16-17. During our meeting on Friday morning, we were very happy to complete one of our favorite roles as trustees—the approval of 216 candidates for graduation from the Class of 2025. In addition to approving the list of graduates, trustees also received two important updates Friday morning during our plenary session.

The first was an update from the strategic planning Task Force on College Affordability, presented by chair and VP for Admission and Financial Aid Thyra Briggs and HMC President Harriet B. Nembhard. Originally formed in January 2024, the task force has been working the last several months to hold small group discussions and gather data to inform its initial findings. The task force’s first interim report is available on the website. We encourage everyone to review this initial report and to provide feedback and suggestions using the email address provided on the website.

Also on Friday, the board received an update from R. Michael Shanahan Dean of the Faculty Tom Donnelly and President Nembhard on highlights from the College’s first Innovation Showcase. The showcase provided an opportunity for faculty and staff to pitch Innovation Accelerator projects, and three projects have been selected to receive additional funding. The Innovation Accelerator is the key engine for driving educational innovation under the College’s new strategic plan, STEM for a Better World. Through the Innovation Accelerator, the College community has been inspired to explore and highlight our most innovative, ambitious and forward-looking ideas, leading us to wonder what the impact could be if our community had the space and resources to constantly renew, innovate and build for our shared future. We look forward to the opportunity to continue this discussion in the months ahead as we continue planning for our next comprehensive fundraising campaign.

Looking ahead toward that goal, during our meeting Saturday morning, the board heard from HMC’s Vice President for Advancement Jennifer Eccles as well as from Peter Hayashida, senior consultant, principal, and chair of the board of directors for Marts&Lundy, the consulting firm the College has retained to assist with planning our upcoming comprehensive fundraising campaign. The firm is developing a capacity analysis to help determine the goal for our upcoming campaign as well as the initial prospectus outlining the campaign initiatives. We anticipate having a broader conversation focused on our campaign goals and initiatives during this fall’s Saddle Rock board retreat, and we hope to invite more members of the HMC community to join us for these important discussions.

Also on Saturday, the Board Affairs Committee proposed, and the full board approved, a resolution affirming updated priorities for the board of trustees. The board agreed to the following priorities:

1. Invest in programs that advance the College’s mission. The board will advocate for and help secure the strategic financial and human resources necessary to support high-impact academic programs, campus initiatives, and institutional priorities that further the College’s distinctive educational model.
2. Strengthen board composition through broader representation. The board will continue to expand the range of perspectives and experiences among its members by actively recruiting individuals with wide-ranging personal, professional and cultural backgrounds, thereby enhancing the board’s capacity for inclusive and effective governance.
3. Support leadership in national STEM education. The board will champion Harvey Mudd College’s national role in advancing innovative, collaborative and socially engaged STEM education that prepares students to address the world’s most complex challenges with skill and purpose.

In addition to these updates and discussions, the board made several key decisions we would like to share.

Trustee Actions

• The board approved several recommendations for renewal of trustees and appointment of new board members for next academic year. We thank each of them for their willingness to serve on the board and for their dedication to the mission of Harvey Mudd College.
• The board reelected the following trustees for a three-year term: Jim Bean ’77, Kathleen Fisher, Robert Gould ’87, Shamit Grover ’05, Dylan Hixon, Tony Li ’82 and Michael Wilson ’63.
• Bruce DePriester ’74 was elected to a three-year term as a trustee. DePriester most recently served as an advisory trustee.
• Laurie Girand was elected to serve a one-year term as an advisory trustee.
• Kathy French ’97 was elected to serve as the alumni representative to the board.
• Trustees voted to grant John Benediktsson ’01, Robert Hulse ’96/97, Gregory Rae ’00 and Yvonne Wassenaar emeritus trustee status. The board extends its deepest gratitude for their many years of service, and we look forward to their continued friendship, support and wisdom in their new role as trustees emeriti.
• Terence Wong ’09 was elected to serve as a trustee for a three-year term as his term as a recent graduate trusteeis ending.
• Eun Bin Go ’15, a research scientist at Amazon, and Rebecca Thomas ’14, senior software engineer and tech lead for Google Kids Space, were both elected to the board as recent graduate trustees.
• Ajit Singh, partner with Artiman Ventures, and Robert Shelton, who most recently served as president of the Giant Magellan Telescope, were both elected for three-year terms to the board. We thank them for their willingness to serve, and we look forward to working with them.
• Trustee Laura Larson P’20 was elected to serve one additional year as vice chair of the board.
• The board approved the 2025-2026 operating budget.

Faculty Actions

• The Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) approved the promotion to full professor for Albert Dato (Engineering).
• The AAC approved the three-year reappointments of Spencer Brucks (Chemistry), Whitney Fowler (Engineering), and Daniel Tamayo (Physics).
• All faculty actions above are effective July 1. We congratulate these faculty members and thank them for their continued service to the College.

We concluded the weekend by celebrating the College’s 67th Commencement with the members of the Class of 2025 and their families. We congratulate all our graduates and their families on this tremendous accomplishment. As always, the members of the board understand how challenging and busy this weekend is in May, and we are so very grateful to each member of the HMC community for your outstanding work on behalf of our students and for helping to ensure that Commencement and our meetings run so smoothly.

In closing, this weekend always serves to remind us why we each devote so much of our time, talents and resources in support of the College. Despite the challenges the higher education community is facing, it’s important for us to always remember that our students and graduates are the reason we do this important work. They represent our College’s greatest impact on society, and we can’t wait to see how each of them makes their unique mark on the world.

Sincerely,

Jim Bean ’77
Chair, HMC Board of Trustees