Presidential Transition Task Force Update: Inauguration Week Scheduled

Dear HMC Community:

As mentioned in the February 6, 2023, message to the Harvey Mudd College community, the Presidential Transition Task Force was created to develop first-draft processes for four key initiatives: a communication plan for the presidential transition; a timeline for a new strategic plan to be developed by the entire College community; timing for planning the College’s next comprehensive fundraising campaign; and an appropriate timeline and agenda for the presidential inauguration.

In collaboration with President Harriet Nembhard, the task force developed the “Community Connections” website, which outlines a series of opportunities the college community will have to meet with President Nembhard over the course of the coming year. These events will give constituents a space to share their concerns and aspirations for HMC, while also allowing President Nembhard to listen, learn and gather information that will be informative for the College’s strategic visioning process. The initial schedule of events for President Nembhard’s first 100 days was announced to the College community via email from President Nembhard on June 30 and is available on the website. Additional events and opportunities to meet with President Nembhard will be announced throughout the fall semester. Invitations to attend the events will be shared with HMC community members. Regular updates will be shared via the Community Connections website and/or messages sent out to the HMC community. A summative report will also be distributed after the first 100 days of President Nembhard’s presidency are complete, which will highlight the events and meetings attended, feedback received from attendees and from the online form, and any relevant messaging.

The task force also discussed the strategic planning process and recognized that developing a robust strategic plan for the College will involve multiple stakeholders. The strategic plan development will be an opportunity to delve deep into the vision for the College and incorporate feedback gathered from the broad HMC community. Ideas and information shared at events during President Nembhard’s first 100 days and the input gathered from surveys sent to the HMC community will be vital to developing the strategic plan. A strategic plan development committee will need to be created, and updates from the committee will be shared with the College community as progress is made in the planning process. The strategic plan development process will be a collaborative effort, and the strategic plan will be a vital component to prepare the College for its next comprehensive fundraising campaign.

The upcoming comprehensive campaign is an opportunity to identify fundraising priorities for the College based on the outcomes of the strategic planning process and feedback gathered during President Nembhard’s first 100 days. The key pillars of the campaign will need to be collaboratively identified before the public phase of the campaign commences. The task force noted that the Office of Advancement will collaborate with campus partners and the College community during each phase of the comprehensive campaign.

Finally, the task force discussed the timeline and agenda for President Nembhard’s inauguration. The inauguration provides an opportunity to strengthen HMC’s relationship with members of the Claremont consortium, expand HMC’s visibility to the public, and raise awareness for the College. We anticipate creating an inauguration committee in the coming weeks that will be tasked with planning the events surrounding President Nembhard’s inauguration. In the week leading up to the inauguration, a series of events will be scheduled that will be open for community members to attend. An inauguration website and communications plan will be developed, and messages will be sent to the community once details about these events are finalized.

After gathering feedback from the HMC faculty and staff, the week of February 26, 2024, is now confirmed for inauguration events, with the official ceremony scheduled for March 1, 2024.

We would like to acknowledge and thank the task force for their collaborative and reflective contributions. The task force was co-chaired by Trustee Bruce Worster ’64 and Tom Donnelly, vice president for academic affairs and R. Michael Dean of the Faculty and other members included Karen Angemi, chief of staff and secretary to the board of trustees; Andrew Dorantes, vice president, COO and treasurer; Tim Hussey, chief communications officer; Hieu Nguyen, vice president for advancement; Trustee Yvonne Wassenaar; Trustee Terence Wong ’09; and support was provided by Lisa Burton, executive assistant to the vice president for advancement and presidential special events coordinator.

We know you will join us in wishing President Nembhard the best as she begins her new role as president of the College. On behalf of the board of trustees, we look forward to partnering with her and with all of you to ensure Harvey Mudd College’s continued success in the coming months and years.

Sincerely,

Jim Bean ’77
Chair, HMC Board of Trustees

Laura Larson P20
Vice Chair, HMC Board of Trustees