Annual Report

What a pleasure it is to start out this annual summary by celebrating our return to campus in 2021, a year and a half after the community departed because of the global pandemic. We are very grateful to our faculty and staff for the amazing work they are doing to maintain the College’s academic programs while supporting our students and each other. Also, we appreciate our students’ and families’ understanding and engagement as we’ve had to pivot to accommodate changing circumstances. 

The return to campus in fall was made possible by many community members, including student leaders, who collaborated to develop our #StaySafeAtMudd guidelines, including protocols for prevention, quarantine and isolation. Everyone’s work enabled a safe, fun and collaborative on-campus experience for all students.

The first contingent of students returned to campus during summer 2021 to participate in the Summer Research Program, makerspace development and on-campus work. Improving conditions allowed about half of the 214 student summer researchers to regain hands-on access to labs, shops and studios. 

We know this has been particularly challenging for our first-year and sophomore students, and we were thrilled to have them on campus for fall 2021, most for the first time. Like many higher education institutions, we waived our ACT/SAT requirements because of disruptions caused by the pandemic. Despite the challenges, we experienced positive growth in our incoming class of 2025, which saw a nearly 40% increase in applications. Admission applications from women were up 42%, and we saw increases from Hispanic/LatinX students (up almost 50%) and African American/Black students (up 79%). The class is by far the most ethnically diverse class to be admitted to HMC.

Preparations during the 2020–2021 academic year have laid the foundation for students to begin taking courses that make up the new Core Curriculum, approved by the faculty in May 2020. Known as Four Courses with Optional Electivity, it addresses two major themes that drove the review process: a refined focus of topics, giving students more time to reflect on what they learn and a more direct engagement with the “impact” part of the College’s mission. An Implementation Committee continues working with departments and faculty to finalize important details, like understanding the downstream impact of the new Core on each department, determining the timeline for introducing new Core courses and evaluating funding and staffing needs. A pilot version of the Impact Course will be offered in spring 2022, and a full rollout of the Core will occur in fall 2022.

New campus spaces and initiatives

Throughout the pandemic, construction work has been deemed essential, allowing the construction of the Scott A. McGregor Computer Science Center to stay on schedule and be completed on time for a spring 2021 opening. In addition to providing a new home to the Department of Computer Science, a highlight of the three-story, 36,000-square-foot building is its permanent makerspace, an all-campus, cross-departmental interdisciplinary space led by Director Jeff Groves, an experienced maker, teacher and administrator. Groves, professor of literature and former dean of the faculty, helped launch the makerspace initiative during his tenure as dean of the faculty and now coordinates its activities with the help of a manager and student stewards.

During 2020-2021, the College took steps to expand initiatives in two important areas. The HMC Entrepreneurship Working Group, co-organized by trustees Sergio Monsalve P25 and Bob Hulse ’96/97 and professors Darryl Yong ’96 and Albert Dato, and joined by several members of the board, faculty and student body, named a director of entrepreneurship initiatives: Kash Gokli, Oliver C. Field Professor of Manufacturing Practice and Engineering Economics. Gokli will strengthen and expand the College’s entrepreneurial education offerings and activities, and he will build upon the substantial legacy of Gary Evans, professor of economics emeritus, and the ongoing efforts of the HMC Entrepreneurial Network.