The MESA Service Award was established in 1996 and was first awarded at MESA’s 1997 annual meeting. In 2004 the award was named for Jere L. Bacharach in honor of his extraordinary service to MESA, many of her sister societies, and the field overall. The award recognizes the contributions of individuals through their outstanding service to MESA or the profession. Service is defined broadly to include work in diverse areas, including but not limited to outreach, librarianship, and film.

2011 Nomination Guidelines

MESA members are invited to submit written nominations for the 2011 Jere L. Bacharach Service Award. Letters of nomination should reflect extraordinary service to MESA or the field. The nominator should complete the official nomination form on which he or she will provide for him or herself and the nominee the following information:

• name
• mailing address, city, state, zip code, country
• telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address

The nominator should also provide the name of two individuals he or she has asked to provide letters in support of the nomination. If possible, the nominator should also append a short biographical sketch of the nominee or a complete CV if one is available. Nominators are reminded that the award is intended for persons who have served MESA and/or the field in an extraordinary way.

The award winner is announced at the Awards Ceremony at MESA's annual meeting and receives a cash award of $1,000.

The deadline for receipt of nominations for the 2011 Jere L. Bacharach Service Award is May 02, 2011. Nominations should be sent to: Bacharach Service Award, Middle East Studies Association, The University of Arizona, 1219 N Santa Rita Ave, Tucson AZ 85721.

Questions about the award and the nomination procedures may be directed to Sara Palmer at 520-626-4753 or palmers@email.arizona.edu.

2010 Winner

The Middle East Studies Association is pleased to present the 2010 Jere L. Bacharach Service Award to McGuire Gibson In recognition of his exceptional service to the field of Middle East studies,

With great admiration for twenty-six years of service to the Council of American Overseas Research Centers, particularly his role in founding the American Institute for Yemeni Studies and The American Academic Research Institute in Iraq,

For his work training Iraqi archaeologists, preserving and protecting Iraq’s cultural heritage, and promoting scholarship on modern Iraq,

For his commitment to keeping the public informed about the losses to our shared world heritage caused by war and the importance of scholarly knowledge and record keeping.

And with deep appreciation for the generosity and savoir faire that delights all he encounters,

It is an honor to recognize archaeologist, linguist, fieldworker, archivist, humanist, spokesman, teacher and colleague extraordinaire, McGuire Gibson, whose wide-ranging expertise and intrepid efforts have benefited us all.