On May 10, Dean of Admissions and Student Financial Services Stu Schmill was recognized at the MIT Awards Convocation with the Gordon Y. Billard Award. A graduate of the Class of 1924, Billard established the award to recognize a member of the community for “special service of outstanding merit performed for the Institute.”

Stu has a long history of service to MIT. After graduating in 1986 and working at General Motors in Detroit, he returned to the Institute in 1987 as head coach and director of MIT Crew. He served as director of Parent, Student, and Young Alumni Programs in the Alumni Association; director of the Educational Council; and senior associate director of admissions before his appointment in 2008 as dean of admissions. In 2016, he assumed leadership of Student Financial Services, as well.

A champion of efforts to increase financial aid and to attract and recruit an exceptional cohort of undergraduate students every year, Stu has all the while fostered a sense of camaraderie, kindness, respect, and high standards among his staff. As one nominator wrote, “Our team is proud to work with, and for, Stu because he brings out the best in us.”

It is also notable that Stu does not take himself too seriously, as his appearances in the famed MIT Admissions videos demonstrate. His most recent dramatic role as The Last Dean shows how far his acting chops have come.

Stu has worked diligently over the years to develop his emotional range for cameos in MIT Admissions videos. His acting prowess is on full display in The Last Dean.