Marilee Jones

The award recipient in this category is someone who knows how to inspire and lead, and has developed and communicated a vision for the Office of Admissions that is clear and future-oriented. One of her colleagues commented: "She has shown us the way by linking our traditions and our view of the future." This individual is Marilee Jones. Because of Marilee's leadership and passion, the message of: "science in the service of mankind," now resonates among generations of students. She helps students understand that they have a responsibility as members of society, to utilize their skills and talents to make a difference in the world. Marilee has also been visionary in her approach towards admissions strategies and processes, incorporating faculty and alumni perspectives, and the concerns and interests of prospective students and their parents. She has provided the conceptual thinking that is necessary to support our efforts to remain competitive when recruiting the very best students in the world. As a result of her efforts to seek new and evolving ways to examine the processes that identify, recruit and admit the best applicants, we are seeing increasingly diverse, well-rounded classes of entering freshmen. Marilee works with great effort to reach out to the administration, helping guide MIT to embrace and adapt to change and better understand the needs of the students. As one nominator writes, "Marilee possesses immense charisma and intelligence. She is warm and compassionate, and demonstrates a dedication to excellence." She inspires both students and her colleagues to work to their maximum potential and is considered by many to be a true role model. On behalf of the MIT community, it is our honor to present Marilee Jones with an MIT EXCELLENCE Award for Leading Change.