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.

2013 Nomination Guidelines

MESA members are invited to submit written nominations for the 2013 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 2012 Jere L. Bacharach Service Award is May 02, 2013. 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.

2012 Winner

Erika H. Gilson,
Princeton University, Department of Near Eastern Studies

In recognition of her exceptional dedication for over 30 years to the development and promotion of Turkish and Turkic language studies,
        With admiration for her accomplishments as co-founder of, and 26 years' service as Executive Secretary-Treasurer of, the American Association of Teachers of Turkic Languages, and for her work as editor of the AATT Bulletin;
        For all her work building and professionalizing the field, and training teachers and students, all the while developing new materials, tools, standards and resources, and securing funding and opportunities that have benefitted so many.
        In acknowledgment of her years as a tireless advocate for language learning and superior teaching via ACTFL, NCOLCTL and NLMERC,
        It is an honor to recognize Erika H. Gilson, a creative, dedicated, and generous colleague whose lifelong commitment to integrating language research and education has enriched so many programs of study and inspired so many students and colleagues.

 

• Previous Award Recipients