Harvey Mudd College Appoints VP for Advancement

Following a national search, Harvey Mudd College has appointed Hieu Nguyen as its next vice president for advancement. Nguyen joins the College from the University of California, Riverside (UCR), where he served as executive vice president of the UCR Foundation and associate vice chancellor for development. He will begin his new role at Harvey Mudd July 22, 2019.

“The search committee and the Harvey Mudd community expressed great enthusiasm for Hieu’s candidacy during his campus visit,” said HMC President Maria Klawe. “His expertise leading large-scale programs in public institutions, coupled with his work for small liberal arts colleges, make him an ideal candidate for this position. Hieu brings an excellent breadth of experience and fresh perspectives to the College, and I look forward to celebrating many successes with him in the coming years.”

During his time at UCR, Nguyen worked with the chancellor, deans, and vice chancellor for university advancement to manage the university’s overall advancement efforts and to publicly launch the university’s first $300 million comprehensive campaign. Private philanthropic support more than doubled during his time there, across seven school- and college-based development programs including the schools of medicine and business as well as engineering, natural sciences, agriculture, humanities, arts, and social sciences.

“Harvey Mudd College experienced great success in its most recent comprehensive fundraising campaign, and I look forward to joining the community to lead in furthering the College’s mission through philanthropic support and alumni engagement,” Nguyen said of his appointment.

Prior to UCR, Nguyen served as associate vice president for development at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where he managed all aspects of leadership gifts, annual giving, athletics fundraising, stewardship programs and development research. Also, he has served as the assistant vice president for college advancement at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and as the assistant director of leadership gifts/senior development officer for Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. Before joining academia, Nguyen worked in industry as assistant director of manufacturing/applications engineer for Qualcomm and as executive director for co-location/dedicated hosting and enterprise sales for Burlee LLC.

As a first-generation college graduate who immigrated to the United States with his mother and grandmother in 1975, Nguyen said his exposure to learning, the importance of scholarship, and the influence of an outstanding education have helped shape his values and strengthen his relationships with others. Nguyen attended Middlebury College, where he earned his bachelor of arts degree in American Civilization and was an All-American goalie in lacrosse for his alma mater.

“The arc of my professional career has been intentional and focused on absorbing and comprehending the complexities of fundraising, engagement, and leadership development,” Nguyen said. “I am eager to expand my contributions to higher education by aligning my passion for fundraising with the aspirational, educational and philanthropic goals of Harvey Mudd College.”

Harvey Mudd College is the premier liberal arts college specializing in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The College’s mission is to prepare engineers, scientists and mathematicians to become leaders in their fields and understand the impact of their work on society. Consistently ranked among the top colleges—and the No.1 engineering school—in the United States, the College has become the leader in attracting, educating and retaining students who have traditionally been underrepresented in STEM fields as part of a focused strategic initiative to achieve excellence and diversity at all levels.