UPDATED FEB. 20: Middle Tennessee State University has postponed the John Pleas Faculty Award presentation slated for 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20. The reception has been rescheduled to Thursday, March 27, at 5 p.m. in the James Union Building Tennessee Room.

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — For nearly 40 years, Middle Tennessee State University assistant professor of social work Carmelita Dotson has dedicated her career to helping underserved populations, mentoring students and advancing social justice.

Her life’s work will be recognized as this year’s recipient of the prestigious John Pleas Faculty Award at a presentation set for 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building, 516 Alma Mater Drive.

“Professionally, it’s like a pinnacle of all my training, all my studying, and all my efforts I put into the classroom have been met,” said Dotson, Bachelor of Social Work Program coordinator and 20-year veteran of the university. “It means I met the mark.”

The award is presented each February during Black History Month to a faculty member at MTSU who best embodies the respect for diversity as described in the university’s Community Standards and Values. Recipients are chosen by a committee for their excellence in teaching, impactful research and service to the community who are making a difference in the academic journeys of underserved and at-risk students.

Dotson has received numerous honors, including the 2022 Social Work Educator of the Year (National Association of Social Workers, Middle Tennessee Branch) and 2019-2020 MTSU Outstanding Teaching Award, among others.

The faculty award was established in 1997 to honor MTSU psychology Professor Emeritus John Pleas, who was the recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Award in 1999 and is the author of the exercise guide, “Walking,” published in 1981 by W.W. Norton & Company.

To see the list of previous award winners, visit https://www.mtsu.edu/aahm/john-pleas-award/.

The awards ceremony and reception are open to the public. A campus map is available at https://bit.ly/MTSUParking.

More details about other 2025 Black History Month events at MTSU are available at https://www.mtsu.edu/aahm/. You can also contact Danielle Rochelle, director of MTSU’s Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs, at 615-898-5812 or danielle.rochelle@mtsu.edu.

— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)