Nicole Parsons joined Harvey Mudd College’s Office of Advancement
as the Associate Director of Regional Development to help lead the Campaign for Harvey Mudd, after working for Claremont McKenna College.
HMC recently began its campaign with a goal of
raising $150 million. In a letter on the HMC website, President Maria Klawe wrote that the purpose of the campaign is “to fund the people, programs, and
places that will allow us to realize our vision and continue our mission to
ensure a steady stream of passionate problem solvers.”
With this goal, HMC had raised more than $102 million as of Jan. 29.
According to Klawe’s email announcement, Parsons brings development experience from her
political background with the Republican Party of San Diego County and Combat Veterans for Congress, as well as from her work assisting CMC in completing its $635 million capital campaign, which is regarded as one of the most successful fundraising campaigns undertaken by a liberal arts institution.
Parsons said that her position requires her to “engage alumni,
parents, and friends of Mudd to not only support the campaign [and] recruit
volunteers but hopefully grow the affinity for Mudd on a national scale.”
Parsons is one of many faculty and administrators who have moved from one 5C institution to another. At the Office of Advancement at HMC, she said, there
are other administrators who have been previously employed by CMC. Likewise, CMC offices currently employ people who have worked at HMC.
Parsons said that it is useful to be able to use “institutional knowledge from one place to enhance another.”
For Parsons, philanthropy is personal. She discussed the
importance of capital campaigns, noting that fundraisers support not only the construction of new facilities, but also financial aid.
“People can really create their personal legacy by giving,” she said.
According to the
HMC website, approximately 21 percent of annual giving is allocated to student scholarships in the form of financial aid.