News
Mesco Honored with Service Award
04/29/20
Dr. Jacquelyn Mesco is dedicated not only to the students at Dalton State, she takes her passion for literacy into the community facilitating services to help school-aged children learn to read as well.
Mesco, an associate professor of education, is this year’s Dalton State Foundation Excellence in Service Award recipient for all she does on campus and in the Northwest Georgia area. Faculty members are nominated for the award by their peers and winners are chosen by a committee made up of faculty members and students from each of the college’s schools.
“Dr. Mesco is a motivated service champion who effectively represents Dalton State’s faculty on campus and in the community,” said Dr. Bruno Hicks, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, who presented the award via video due to the remote learning and work during the COVID-19 pandemic. “She is impressive and demonstrates a substantial commitment of time and expertise. I am drawn not only to the sheer amount of service to the campus and community but also to the variety of service.”
On campus, Mesco serves on the Institutional Review Board, Student Success Committee, Celebrations Committee, and the system-wide Council of the Americas. She is the faculty advisor for Kappa Delta Pi, a national education honor society and has served on several search committees in the School of Education.
Mesco is an integral faculty member in the School of Education and participates in the school’s Learning Academies, which are weekly meetings with local families to support literacy efforts. She is an active participant in the School of Education’s Power Lunch series where volunteers read to K-12 students at summer lunch feeding sites and provide learning and reading activities. Also, she created and oversees the Summer Literacy Camp hosted at area public schools where Dalton State teacher candidates focus on reading and writing with students.
Dr. Sharon Hixon, dean of the School of Education, described Dr. Mesco this way in her nomination letter: “Her service is transformative. She is known within the school systems for doing quality work with children and families, and because of this, the school systems seem to be very willing and eager to let her try new things.”
Dr. Janet Johnson, assistant professor of education, said in her nomination: “She is extremely deserving of this award and I can think of no one better to represent this aspect of our institution. She deserves to be recognized for the many ways in which she serves our students, our college, our community and our profession. She is one of the first to volunteer when help is needed, and she is truly a positive ambassador for Dalton State.”