Music secretary, student advocate receives February DBT’s MVP

Congratulating Dottie Serio on receiving the February DBT's MVP are, from left, Ben Williams, professor and chair of the MC Department of Music; MC President Blake Thompson, and Alfred Daniels, set-up foreman and previous DBT's MVP selection.

Festival of Lights is one of Mississippi College’s premier holiday attractions, delighting audiences of hundreds with a retelling of the Christmas story through music.

For 15 years, Dottie Serio, secretary in the MC Department of Music, has coordinated every aspect of the program with dedication and care. From recruiting Scripture readers and ensuring Provine Chapel is decorated to overseeing printing of the program and managing ticket sales, she spends hours making sure the event leaves a lasting impression.

It’s just one of many ways the “unsung hero of the Music Department” has made her mark on MC’s campus. However, Serio’s greatest contribution has been supporting the music students who regularly visit her office. They regard her as a trusted “sounding board” who dispenses insightful wisdom and advice.

“Dottie reminds students that they do not have to be the best musician in the world to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives,” said Dr. Stephanie Busbea, dean of MC’s School of Christian Studies, Humanities and the Arts. “She is a strong advocate for student involvement and is always attentive to opportunities that might benefit them.”

Her genuine care and connection to others have not only made a lasting impact across campus but also earned Serio the title of DBT’s MVP for February 2026.

MC President Blake Thompson presented the award to Serio on Feb. 3 in recognition of her willingness to go “above and beyond” for MC students, faculty and her fellow staff members. She received a T-shirt, a parking spot of her choosing on campus for a month, a $50 gift card, a print by internationally celebrated artist Samuel M. Gore, and the right to display a bobblehead of Thompson with his famous golf cart.

Though surprised, Serio was not at a loss for words.

“It’s nice to be recognized,” she said. “Working in a small department, I don’t necessarily have a high profile, particularly because I’m not on a stage playing the piano for the bigger ensembles. Answering the phone and paying the bills doesn’t necessarily draw a lot of attention. So, this means the world to me.”

Ben Williams, professor and chair of the MC Department of Music, highlighted Serio’s impact.

“She holds everything together,” Williams said. “She’s the center of all our huge events. When we’re putting together programs that have choirs, bands or special speakers, she does all the promotions that bring audiences to our campus.

“She makes everyone feel welcome, valued and engaged with our campus. She cares about everything.”

She comes by her compassion naturally. The daughter of a missionary, she obtained her undergraduate degree in piano at Carson Newman University in Jefferson City, Tennessee, before attending Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and meeting her future husband, Joey. The couple wed, moved to Clinton and had two children, Adam and Elizabeth. Through it all, Serio managed to earn her master’s degree in marriage and family therapy at MC.

For 15 years, she teamed with Katherine Heard, now a professor of psychology at MC, to run a psychiatric facility before accepting then-Chair James M. Meaders’ offer to join the MC Department of Music.

“When I got hired, I told my husband that this is the last job that I will have,” she said.

Every once in a while, her friends would ask if she missed providing therapy. “I’d say, ‘Are you kidding me? I’ve got students and faculty in my office all the time. The relationships I have built here are meaningful to me.”

An organist for Northside Baptist Church in Clinton for almost 40 years, she has remained an integral part of the MC Department of Music. It’s the people at MC and her love of music that keep her going.

“Working here allows me to get back into my musical roots, watch these students sing, promote our musical events, and make sure this department runs smoothly.”

She says the “town and gown” relationship the University has with Clinton doesn’t hurt, either. When Serio initially moved here, she didn’t think they would stay. Forty-three years later, she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

“This is a glorious little town,” she said. “When we go out on those brick streets, and the MC Jazz Band sets up, and people are sitting and eating pizza, and some folks are dancing, it reminds me of something that Norman Rockwell would paint.

“I tell students, the greatest thing about MC is that we're big enough to do big things – the MC Singers performed a concert tour of Europe this Christmas, for example – but we're small enough that our faculty knows their names. We have a beautiful balance, not just in this school, but in this town, where you don't feel quite so lost in the forest of life. You have that connectedness.”