Excellence in education

Retired Vice Provost for Enrollment Management John Mahoney was presented with the Joyce E. Smith Excellence in Education Award from the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) earlier this fall.

The award honors individuals who have improved the field of education and/or the way students are served. Among other criteria, candidates are judged on their national prominence in the political or education arena; their influence over public opinion in matters related to education; and their championing of initiatives that advocate for students and access to education.

"I'm grateful to receive this recognition from the National Association for College Admission Counseling," Mahoney said. "After dedicating my career to the profession, speaking on panels at NACAC conferences, and publishing articles for the Journal of College Admission, it means so much to be recognized by my peers."

Mahoney, who retired at the end of the last academic year, joined the Office of Undergraduate Admission in 1984 as assistant (later associate) director. He was appointed as director of undergraduate admission in 1990; in 2018, he became dean of undergraduate admission and financial aid and later that year was appointed as vice provost for enrollment management. He was widely hailed as a key architect for Boston College’s unprecedented success in undergraduate admission and enrollment during the past three decades.

A frequent speaker at national conferences, Mahoney—who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from BC—authored several articles on college admission. He received the John B. Muir Award in 2002 for the best article in the Journal of College Admission and the Harry R. Carroll Award from the New England Association for College Admission Counseling in 2014 for distinguished service to the profession.

NACAC is an organization of more than 26,000 professionals from around the world dedicated to serving students as they make choices about pursuing postsecondary education, according to the association’s website.