July 18 Update from the Task Force on Clinic and Corporate Partnerships

Dear HMC Parents and Alumni,

Greetings from Harvey Mudd College and the Task Force on Clinic and Corporate Partnerships. The creation of the Task Force was announced by President Nembhard on April 16. The detailed charge and membership were announced on May 24. Since then, the Task Force has been meeting weekly, and we are writing to provide an update on our activities.

We know that the issues we are discussing are important for our community members. Our work is motivated by a strong belief in the ability of the Harvey Mudd community to engage in thoughtful dialogue about difficult issues in ways that provide opportunities for all stakeholder perspectives to be shared and carefully considered.

The Task Force’s website is now live and includes the charge and membership of the Task Force as well as an archive of the communications about/from the Task Force. Additional items that will be added to the website in the weeks ahead include an FAQ, schedules for discussions and forums in the fall, and our fall interim reports. The Task Force has been sending biweekly updates by email to students, faculty and staff. These updates also are posted to the task force website so that all community members can stay regularly informed of our progress.

A major focus for the Task Force this summer has been preparing a survey that will be released later this month for all students, faculty, staff and alumni. The results of the survey will be shared in our interim reports in the fall and will help inform community discussions this fall. We have striven to develop questions that probe a complex set of issues while keeping the survey short enough to maximize participation. The survey will provide an open-ended question at the end for respondents to share anything that the survey did not cover that they want to be considered. We strongly encourage as many people as possible to take the survey and share their opinions. Ultimately, we recognize that the survey is a seed for further conversation and not the end of the conversation.

In addition to the survey, the Task Force has been collecting historical data on our corporate partnerships through Clinic and the Office of Career Services and analyzing trends across industries and disciplines. Additionally, we are gathering information on the history, finances, impact and pedagogical value of the Clinic program at HMC. We also are seeking insights from peer institutions with senior capstone programs modeled after our Clinic program.

A third thrust of the Task Force’s work so far has been developing a plan for robust communication among stakeholders and the Task Force. The outline of our communication strategy is listed on the website (hmc.edu/tfccp). As we schedule the dates for our fall events, we will post updates and share broadly.

The Task Force is integrated into the College’s strategic planning process. The recommendations of the Task Force will likely be multifaceted and will involve the participation of multiple stakeholders in implementation. Because we are interested in making lasting, positive changes, we will lean into the shared governance model in which decision-making is collaborative and respectful of the expertise and designated roles of our HMC community members. As an example, any strategic recommendations related to the curricular aspect of the Clinic program will be directed primarily to the faculty, who have the responsibility of stewarding the curriculum. In future updates and communications, the Task Force will go into more detail about what to expect because we recognize that many HMC community members have questions about who will be receiving the Task Force’s recommendations and what will happen next.

In the meantime, comments and questions can be directed to taskforce_ccp-l@g.hmc.edu. All emails will be read and taken seriously. Responses to common questions and themes will be included when appropriate on the FAQ section of the website.

Thank you for your support of Harvey Mudd.

Sincerely,
Prof. Talithia Williams and Prof. Karl Haushalter, Co-Chairs
On Behalf of the Task Force on Clinic and Corporate Partnerships

Task Force Members

Students

Avani Anne ’25
Alina Scholz ’25
Ivan Dudiak ’26
McKenna McMurray ’26
Sadhvi Narayanan ’27
Aabhas Senapati ’27

Alumni

Mo Kyn ’24
Kathy French ’97, President, Alumni Association Board of Governors (AABOG)

Staff

Shannon Braun, Director of Career Services
Colleen Coxe, Assistant Vice President for Sponsored Research and Projects
Kim Nykanen, Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students

Faculty

Zach Dodds, Professor of Computer Science and Leonhard-Johnson-Rae Chair of Computer Science
Erika Dyson, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Willard W. Keith Jr. Fellow in the Humanities
Karl Haushalter, Seeley W. Mudd Professor of Chemistry and Biology and Chair, Department of Chemistry, Co-chair of the Task Force
Sarah Kavassalis, Assistant Professor of Climate and Chemistry
Leah Mendelson, Associate Professor of Engineering
Talithia Williams, Professor of Mathematics and Mathematics Clinic Director, Co-chair of the Task Force

Trustees

Doo Chung ’11, Member, Board of Trustees
Michael Schubmehl ’02, Vice Chair, Board of Trustees