Strategic Planning Task Force for Clinic and Corporate Partnerships–Message, Members and Charge

Dear HMC Community:

At Harvey Mudd College, the Clinic Program and corporate partnerships have been important components of our ability to provide students with an impactful education and career opportunities. Under the current draft of the Strategic Plan pillar “The World Needs Harvey Mudd,” Priority Four calls for fostering “high-impact partnerships.” This includes expanding Clinic partnerships with nonprofit organizations and other entities to align Clinic more fully with its educational and mission-focused goals and to strengthen ties to companies and graduate programs in high-impact areas. The Strategic Planning Task Force on Clinic and Corporate Partnerships embodies our dedication to improving the quality of these programs and attending to the questions, ideas and multiple viewpoints of our community. 

Harvey Mudd, like most colleges and universities, operates under a system of shared governance, with various constituent groups overseeing different aspects of the College’s curricular and co-curricular experiences as well as the overall financial needs of the institution. Improvements to Clinic and corporate partnerships require a range of issues to be evaluated and will demand creative solutions that engage our entire community: students, faculty, staff, alumni and trustees.

Changes to these programs can and should be made in conjunction with the faculty, who oversee the curriculum; faculty and staff in both the Clinic program and corporate partnership efforts; alumni, who can bring a range of industry perspectives; trustees, who will ultimately approve any budgetary changes; and, very importantly, students, working to help us understand the impact potential changes will have on their experience at HMC and helping assess the effectiveness of the changes made. Multiple constituents are needed to assist in this effort. Our collective and coordinated efforts will help ensure all voices are heard and respected and that durable change can occur. 

The Strategic Planning Task Force for Clinic and Corporate Partnerships will be led by Professors Karl Haushalter and Talithia Williams. The members include four faculty from four departments (two of which offer Clinic); two staff members; six students–two from each of the classes of ’25, ’26, and ’27; two alumni; and two trustees. Kim Nykanen, Executive Assistant to the VP of Student Affairs/Dean of Students will provide support. In the late summer or early fall, 1-2 students from the class of ’28 will be added to the Task Force.

As part of its work, the Task Force is asked to engage with students, faculty, staff, trustees, alumni and community members to understand a variety of viewpoints on the issues at hand. The Task Force is asked to develop and share a communication plan with the community by July, present 1-2 interim progress reports in the fall, and provide a final report by January 2025.

I am confident that our collective efforts will lead to a vibrant and successful future for our institution. Thank you for your ongoing commitment and support.

Kind regards,

Harriet
Harriet B. Nembhard
President, Harvey Mudd College

Members

The Strategic Planning Task Force for Clinic and Corporate Partnerships is composed of the following members:

Karl Haushalter, Seeley Wintersmith Mudd Professor of Chemistry and Biology and Chair, Department of Chemistry, Co-chair of the Task Force 

Talithia Williams, Professor of Mathematics and Mathematics Clinic Director, Co-chair of the Task Force

Avani Anne ’25

Shannon Braun, Director of Career Services 

Doo Chung ’11, Member, Board of Trustees

Colleen Coxe, Assistant Vice President for Sponsored Research and Projects

Zach Dodds, Professor of Computer Science and Leonhard-Johnson-Rae Chair of Computer Science

Ivan Dudiak ’26

Erika Dyson, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Willard W. Keith Jr. Fellow in the Humanities

Kathy French ’97, President, Alumni Association Board of Governors (AABOG)

Sarah Kavassalis, Assistant Professor of Climate and Chemistry

Mo Kyn ’24

McKenna McMurray ’26

Leah Mendelson, Associate Professor of Engineering

Sadhvi Narayanan ’27

Alina Scholz ’25

Michael Schubmehl ’02, Vice Chair, Board of Trustees

Aabhas Senapati ’27

Charge

The Strategic Planning Task Force on Clinic and Corporate Partnerships is tasked with assessing the Clinic program and corporate partnerships to understand the programs’ strengths as well as identify areas of improvement, ensuring alignment with the College’s educational goals and mission, the needs of our students, and HMC’s emerging strategic plan. As part of its work, the Task Force is asked to engage with students, faculty, staff, trustees, alumni and community members to understand a variety of viewpoints on the issues at hand. 

In particular, the Task Force is asked to address the following:

Data Gathering 

• Conduct an analysis of trends with the Clinic program and the corporate partnerships over the past 10-20 years with respect to industry sectors and student participation or employment.
• Examine successful industry-partnership and career service models at other higher education institutions.  
• Partner with the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness (OIRE) to undertake a survey of students, faculty, alumni and staff to better understand the opportunities and challenges of the Clinic program and the Office of Career Services.  
• Conduct qualitative interviews with a range of stakeholders.
• Partner with the Office of Business Affairs and Office of College Advancement to understand how different scenarios on clinic fees would affect the ability to resource clinic projects, budgets at the department and college levels, and requirements for fundraising support. 

Focus Questions

• How tuned is the range of sponsors, projects and corporate recruiting opportunities on offer to the needs and desires of students?
• Are there industries or disciplines that have not traditionally sponsored clinics or engaged with Career Services with which we should make efforts to partner?
• Are there industries for which we should dial back our engagement around Clinic or Career Services?
• How can the programs handle situations in which students have objections to working with particular companies or in particular areas?  
• Are there ways to draw in more nonprofits as sponsors or employment recruiters?
• What are short-, medium-, and long-term initiatives that would improve the programs and the accountability mechanisms for implementation?

Communication

The Task Force is asked to develop and share a communication plan with the community by July; it will include information on opportunities for the community to provide input, frequency of email updates, community meetings and forums, etc. The Task Force is asked to present 1-2 interim progress reports in the fall semester and provide a final report by January 2025. The strategic planning website will be updated to include communications pertaining to the Task Force.