MSU announces 2024 Distinguished Service Awards recipients
Morehead State University has announced the recipients of the 2024 Distinguished Service Awards. These awards recognize faculty and staff for their service to the campus community and their fields of study. The awards were presented at MSU's Fall Convocation ceremony on Wednesday, Aug. 14.
Distinguished Researcher Award – Dr. Elizabeth Perkins
Dr. Elizabeth Perkins has researched domestic terrorism, compassion fatigue, and the availability of psychological services for law enforcement officers. She worked as a law enforcement academy director before coming to MSU. She has managed grant-funded projects in several areas, including community policing, problem-oriented policing, human trafficking, and substance abuse treatment. In addition, Perkins serves as a reviewer for the National Institute of Justice. Much of her research has been student-generated in recent years, and she enjoys mentoring undergraduate and graduate students.
Distinguished Staff Service Award – Megan Boone
Megan Boone oversees MSU's Center for Career Development & Experiential Education. She worked in human resources before moving to career development. She was crucial in developing and implementing the SACSCOC Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), Level UP. The program offers specially designed courses with an added focus on career skills. Boone is the past president of the Kentucky Association of Colleges & Employers and is involved with the National Career Development Association. She has represented MSU at the Council on Postsecondary Education's Kentucky Graduate Profile Academy and the Complete College America Purpose First national program.
Distinguished Teacher Award – Elizabeth Mesa-Gaido
Elizabeth "Lisa" Mesa-Gaido began working at MSU in 1992 and teaches foundational and visual arts. She mentors Undergraduate Research Fellows and interns, leads student field trips and coordinates campus presenters. She is a co-advisor for MSU's Inscape: Literary & Visual Arts Journal, allowing students to publish their work, serve on the editorial review board, and build their portfolios and resumes. Mesa-Gaido has earned some of MSU's and Kentucky's highest honors for her artistic contributions, including the University's Distinguished Creative Productions Award and two Kentucky Arts Council Al Smith Fellowships.
Distinguished Faculty Service Award - Dr. Rebecca Davison
Dr. Rebecca" Becky" Davison has used her expertise to build impactful, ongoing programs in her field. These include the Poverty Simulation, an experiential learning opportunity to develop social empathy for people experiencing poverty, and the Green Dot Bystander Intervention Program, created to build awareness and prevention for various types of violence on campus, like dating violence, stalking, and sexual assault. This past year, Davison helped to create MSU's first-ever Master of Social Work (MSW) program to meet the regional need for social workers.
For more information, contact Academic Affairs at 606-783-2002.
