Purpose of the Committee

In recognition of the public’s interest in Iowa’s archaeological heritage, the State Archaeologist and the Vice President for Research consult regularly with an Advisory Committee. Committee members represent many broad constituencies to whom the Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA) is responsive.

The Committee’s primary purpose is to provide a structure through which the State Archaeologist, the Vice President for Research, and constituency representatives may jointly discuss the creation, implementation, and execution of policies and activities that broadly affect archaeological research, education, and stewardship in Iowa. Final authority regarding the acceptance and implementation of Advisory Committee suggestions lies with the Vice President for Research, in consultation with the State Archaeologist.

Composition of the Committee

The Committee consists of 14 members who serve at the request of the Vice President for Research. Four members are ex officio: the State Archaeologist, the Vice President for Research (or designee), the Chair of the Department of Anthropology (or designee), and the President of the Iowa Archeological Society (or designee). The Vice President for Research is the official chair of the Committee, and may delegate all or part of this duty to the State Archaeologist or another Committee member.

The seats for the ex officio members from the Department of Anthropology and the Iowa Archeological Society will be filled as follows:

The University of Iowa Department of Anthropology seat will be filled by the Department Chair or the Chair’s designee. The Department of Anthropology representative must be a tenured or tenure-line department faculty member and an archaeologist. The Iowa Archeological Society seat will be filled by the Society President or, if necessary, by another full voting member of the Society’s Executive Board as designated by the President. The term of this seat will reflect the election cycle of the Society’s Executive Board. Staff members of the OSA are excluded from serving.

The remaining 10 Committee members are to be representatives from the wide variety of other constituencies concerned with OSA’s mission. Members are appointed by the Vice President for Research and must be selected according to the following criteria. Two are to be academic archaeologists from universities and colleges in Iowa or from nearby states in the Midwest and Plains, three are to be American Indians, two are to be directors (or their designees) from federal or state agencies pertinent to the operations of the OSA (e.g., National Park Service, State Historical Society of Iowa, Geological Survey Bureau of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, or Iowa Department of Education), and three members are to be from the following additional constituent groups:

Faculty and staff at institutions of higher education; Governmental agencies; Professional archaeologists; Museums, libraries, and archives; Primary and high school teachers; and Preservationists and other patrons of archaeological preservation and research.

Terms of Appointment

Except for ex officio members, Committee members’ terms of appointment are for three years. The Vice President for Research may reappoint members for additional three-year terms in order to further ensure the institutional memory of the group.

Meetings and Correspondence

The Committee normally meets twice yearly at the OSA’s main facility in Iowa City. Additional meetings may be convened. Meetings are opportunities for the exchange, discussion, and review of policy information, intergroup coordination, and consensus-building. The agenda for any given meeting will be developed by the Vice President for Research in consultation with the State Archaeologist and any designated Committee chair. Correspondence on Committee business typically occurs via email, with paper copies made available to those members who do not have email access.

Expectations for Committee Members

Committee members are expected to attend the two meetings normally held each year, to represent the views of their constituency at those meetings, and to report the results of those meetings to their groups as appropriate.

Some types of archaeological data shared with Committee members may be of a sensitive or confidential nature as defined by the Code of Ethics of the Society for American Archaeology and local, state, and federal statutes (e.g., Iowa Code Section 263B.10: Confidentiality of archaeological locations and information). Committee members are expected to treat site locational information as confidential.

Sponsorship

The Vice President for Research is responsible for appointments to the Committee and for making alterations to this charge. The charge shall be reviewed by the Vice President for Research in consultation with the State Archaeologist at least every five years.

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