Staff Profile: Joseph Vaughan

Joseph Vaughan is chief information officer and vice president for Computing and Information Services and has been at HMC for 17 years. He is responsible for a wide range of information technology at the College, from the underground fiber and the network switches in the dark, cold closets to making sure that the HMC community has access to modern hardware and software in all areas of their work (and play!). Joseph leads the CIS team, which handles user support and core technology services as well as academic and research computing. CIS provides or manages over 200 services.

What is your favorite part about your job and why?

My favorite part is meeting people, learning about their needs and ideas, then finding ways to help and support them.

What is something people don’t understand about your job that you wish they did?

Information technology is complex and interconnected, and there is a tangled web of connections within HMC and between the Claremont Colleges, not to mention the rest of the world. This sometimes means it can take longer to get things done (maybe even way longer!) than any of us would like.

If you could swap jobs with any other HMC employee for a day, who would it be and why?

Chris Sundberg, associate dean for students and campus life director. I would love to ride around on my bike and really get to know the students the way Chris does. I find our students so engaging and inspiring but I don’t often get the opportunity to be with them.

If you could add anything to campus to improve the employee experience, what would it be?

I think I would build a co-working space that had comfortable furniture, great snacks, games and a welcoming environment designed to encourage employees to leave their offices and cubicles. The one thing that would not be encouraged: sitting only with people from your particular department. Instead, we’d see people mingle while working.

What’s your favorite food/dish in the Hoch-Shanahan Dining Hall?

Once, when my son, Milo, was about 5, Miguel Ruvalcaba, senior director for dining services, made him a special ice-cream sundae. Our family has never forgotten that moment (and Milo is now 15!). That was my favorite dish ever. I love the salads when I go for lunch.

What HMC events have made you feel really connected to other HMC colleagues?

Almost any event that I attend at Mudd does that. I really loved the back-to-school parties in the past. Commencement is always inspiring.

What is your favorite hobby, activity or creative outlet?

I’ve been sailing competitively for many years; I love that. But I’ve also recently fallen in love with hand tool woodworking.

What is the best piece of advice someone has given you, either in life or at work?

“When you set out for Ithaka, ask that your way be long,” from the poem, Ithaka, by C. P. Cavafy.

What is your most effective strategy for dealing with stress?

If the stress is related to work, as I’m leaving campus, I say to myself that I am leaving my problems hanging in the trees. I often completely forget them. And they are usually hanging there waiting for me when I come back next day!

If you could have one superpower, what would it be and how would you use it at work?

My superpower would be the ability to wave a wand and remove miscommunications between people. I would use it all the time.

Are you studying or learning something new?

I’m working on a project that involves taking a large ash log and turning it by hand into useful items (a seat and a lamp are the first two).

What book or podcast are you enjoying right now?

Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick and Artificial Intelligence: The Very Idea by John Haugeland ’66

What is the last concert you attended?

Last: Rhiannon Giddens at the Hollywood Bowl. Second last: Orville Peck at the Hollywood Palladium.