Ho Nam and Mary-Ragan Macgill commit $2.5 million for The Harvey Mudd Promise
April 8, 2026Harvey Mudd College has received a generous $2.5 million gift to support The Harvey Mudd Promise, from Ho Nam ’88 and his wife, Mary-Ragan Macgill. The Harvey Mudd Promise is the College’s bold initiative to eliminate financial barriers and ensure a world-class STEM education is accessible to all qualified students.
This investment builds upon the donors’ long-standing commitment to advancing equity in education. In 2021, they established the Nam-Macgill President’s Scholar Fund, which provides four-year, full-tuition scholarships to outstanding students who demonstrate leadership potential in engineering, science and mathematics.
“Ensuring that a Harvey Mudd education is financially accessible to every talented student, regardless of their personal circumstances, is one of our highest callings,” said President Harriet Nembhard. “This generous support from Ho and Mary-Ragan moves us closer to a future where financial barriers no longer stand in the way of the next generation of outstanding STEM leaders.”
The couple’s recent gift is a cornerstone contribution to The Harvey Mudd Promise, a central pillar of the College’s affordability strategy as part of its STEM for a Better World strategic plan. While Harvey Mudd is already loan-free for families earning $100,000 or less, the College has set an ambitious goal to become loan-free for all students. By removing loans from financial aid packages, Harvey Mudd will empower its graduates to pursue career paths based on their passions and professional goals.
This gift directly advances key objectives within the College’s strategic plan, specifically the mandate for Ensuring Access and Equity:
- Ensuring Access and Equity by Eliminating Financial Barriers: By bolstering The Harvey Mudd Promise, the gift helps transition the College toward a loan-free financial aid model for the entire student body.
- Supporting Middle-income Families: The initiative intentionally addresses the challenges faced by middle- and upper-middle-income families, making a Harvey Mudd degree a reality for a broader range of students.
“Students should be able to excel at a college without financial burdens waiting for them at the finish line,” said Nam. “We are eager to support The Harvey Mudd Promise to help students achieve their academic goals.”
As managing director and co-founder of Altos Ventures, Nam applies a rigorous analytical approach to the venture capital landscape, helping scale global leaders in software, mobile services, and consumer technologies. His firm’s diverse portfolio, which includes impactful investments in sustainable tech, digital education, and healthcare innovation, reflects a career dedicated to solving complex problems through technical excellence.
This professional expertise in identifying long-term potential mirrors the couple’s philanthropic commitment to the Nam-Macgill President’s Scholar program, where they invest in the “human capital” of underrepresented and first-generation Harvey Mudd students, ensuring they have the resources to become the next generation of visionary leaders.