MCC Announces Excellence in Service and Teaching Awards

MANCHESTER, Conn. (February 2, 2021) – Manchester Community College bestowed its annual Excellence in Service Award on MCC Police Dispatcher Kristin Mesick, of Manchester; and the Excellence in Teaching Award went to Professor/Fieldwork Coordinator Donna Sweeney, of Hebron.

These MCC awards recognize and honor employees who demonstrate excellence as judged by their peers at the college. Nominations are solicited from staff, faculty and MCC students, as well as the larger community. Mesick and Sweeney were selected by a specially charged committee and presented with their awards at the college’s recent Spring 2021 Opening Day event, which was held virtually this year.

Criteria for Excellence in Service include the staff member’s concern for the college community, dedication to student success, stewardship and leadership capabilities, and innovative approaches to engaging colleagues and students. Criteria for Excellence in Teaching include the faculty member’s dedication to student learning, depth of subject matter expertise and innovation in inspiring student interest.

Mesick joined MCC in 2012. She manages the overall daily operations of the MCC police department and assists the campus COVID-19 coordinator, among other duties. In addition, she coordinates with the Manchester police department in setting up community training, including self-defense classes for women, using college facilities, which she calls her favorite part of the job.  “Kristin is committed to promoting a respectful working, learning and social environment for all members of Manchester Community College to create a mutually appreciative and healthy environment,” Mesick’s nominator said of her. “She is committed to providing a respectful campus, free of bullying, harassment, discrimination and violence.”

Sweeney joined the faculty full-time in 2014. Her roles as fieldwork coordinator, professor and advisor to the MCC Student Occupational Therapy Association, which help enable her to foster a new generation of occupational therapy assistants for the community, are a source of great satisfaction for her. According to her nominator, “Teaching occupational therapy is not a job in her eyes — it is a privilege and a passion of hers. The joy that radiates from within her when she teaches is so contagious to her students and I remember how excited that joy made me feel every day in class as a student. That joy made me hopeful and incredibly excited for my future.”