Goal 1

To advance research and scholarly enterprise related to Iowa and mid-continent archaeology, and to promote graduate student participation in the Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA) research through cooperation with UI graduate and professional programs.

Develop and explore major interdisciplinary research topics related to Iowa archaeology by

Formulating a list of the most significant research topics in North American archaeology. Sponsoring interdisciplinary colloquia on questions related to anthropology and archaeology. Publishing research in peer-reviewed journals and books, and presenting results at professional conferences. Maintaining regular OSA publications such as the Report and Research Papers series.

Integrate the OSA with academic departments by

Increasing formal links with the departments of Anthropology and Geoscience, and other programs such as American Indian and Native Studies and Museum Studies. Developing cross-disciplinary graduate degree programs with other UI departments and programs. Encouraging staff to participate on master’s and doctoral advisory committees for students from related departments.

Integrate graduate students into OSA’s research programs by

Recruiting graduate students from UI departments and programs to work on OSA-sponsored projects. Providing research opportunities for graduate students through access to our extensive document and material collections. Conducting long-term archaeological projects with research opportunities for graduate and post-graduate scholars.

Improve the culture central to the growth of research and creative work, including interdisciplinary and international efforts by

Leveraging OSA’s expertise, infrastructure, and creativity to contribute to interdisciplinary and international research projects. Collaborating with other academic units on major grant proposals. Providing support for the publication of research results in peer-reviewed journals and books.

Use the extensive OSA repository and archives to foster interdisciplinary and international research by

Facilitating access for students, faculty, and other researchers to the OSA repository and archives. Digitizing all archived materials, making them available on-line to scholars worldwide. Providing on-line digital photographs of significant OSA repository collections.

Perform high quality cultural resource management by

Maintaining strong external funding support for grants and contracts. Maintaining excellent customer service to internal and external clients. Disseminating results of new research projects within the archeological community and the general public. Ensuring OSA staff have the training, experience, facilities, and other support necessary to conduct research in a manner consistent with the principles and standards of professional practice.

Continue national leadership in the treatment of human remains by

Conducting and fostering bioarchaeological research in a sensitive and respectful manner. Curating and facilitating access to the UI-Stanford skeletal study collection in coordination with the UI Department of Anthropology. Expanding Burials Program funding and staffing through external research grants. Continuing osteological analyses, archival research, and tribal consultations related to Iowa law and the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

Goal 2

To strengthen and expand OSA partnerships with public constituencies to advance understanding and appreciation about the human past and stewardship of archaeological resources.

Promote OSA’s current contributions to the public good by

Regularly preparing features and promotional items for the media. Establishing regular broadcasts about OSA endeavors via WSUI Radio. Developing Iowa Public TV features on Iowa archaeology. Expanding information on the OSA web site and connecting to existing UI web-based opportunities. Creating a professional brochure and DVD about OSA’s public programs and educational opportunities. Using expertise and assistance from UI graduate students in marketing and graphic design.

Enhance services and programs offered by the OSA by

Establishing and using mailing lists of alumni, friends, educators, and state officials in dissemination of information and fund-raising. Creating agency, organization, tribal, and public-oriented brochures about OSA research and preservation options. Streamlining an annual major off-campus event by focusing regionally and targeting particular groups. Producing and distributing self-guided tour brochures and regional guidebooks to publicly accessible sites and facilities. Expanding OSA’s assistance to American Indian tribes via tribal cultural endeavors.

Increase public involvement in OSA’s endeavors by

Increasing invitations to OSA-sponsored presentations. Expanding funding and programming opportunities by partnering with other organizations and institutions. Sponsoring regular public field schools in concert with OSA research or research conducted by other partners. Hosting periodic conferences on archaeological and native studies topics, inviting public and tribal participation, and preparing conference proceedings for a peer-reviewed publication.

Engage external partners to enhance and promote archaeological stewardship and foster economic development by

Assisting in having one or two Iowa sites included in the Archaeological Conservancy. Assisting State Preserves Advisory Board in locating and evaluating potential archaeological preserves. Synthesizing comprehensive burial-related data to assist in interpretation and planning. Expanding interactive, GIS-based web services to disseminate information about Iowa’s archaeological sites and landscapes for local and statewide resource planning and management activities. Partnering with county conservation boards, regional Resource, Conservation, and Development agencies, the State Historic Preservation Office, and the Association of Iowa Archaeologists to review and develop individual countywide management plans and a statewide archaeological resource conservation plan. Partnering with professional state organizations, such as realtors, builders, planners, and law enforcement agencies to reach large audiences with information on Iowa’s burial protection laws and preservation options.

Expand and strengthen OSA’s outreach services to educational constituents by

Strengthening liaison with K–12 educators via curriculum development. Improving relationships with the state education system—Regents’ institutions, private colleges, State Department of Education, and Area Education Agencies. Introducing archaeological and heritage conservation curriculum to conservation students and teachers-in-training at Iowa’s colleges and universities. Enhancing lifelong learning opportunities and professional development on campus and via distance learning through partnerships between OSA and other UI departments.

Goal 3

To create a learning experience about the human past that enriches the lives of undergraduates and helps them to become well-informed individuals, lifelong learners, engaged citizens, and productive employees and employers.

Attract a student population to the OSA by

Recruiting high school students via Project Archaeology, teaching trunks, teacher workshops, job-shadowing experiences, and high school mentoring. Reaching out to new UI students via OSA informational brochures, partnerships with Anthropology and other departments at the UI Career Fair, tours during orientation week, and a booth on campus. Publishing articles about OSA staff and student activities in the Daily Iowan, alumni newsletters, other departmental publications. Collaborating with the Career Center and academic advisors to create a career seminar in archaeology or a session on archaeology in an existing career seminar.

Promote effective learning environments and learning opportunities that leverage the OSA’s strengths by

Offering student internships, work-study positions, and summer work opportunities. Using Research Experiences for Undergraduates. Providing independent study opportunities at introductory and specialized levels leading to honors theses. Working with the UI administration to allow senior researchers to sponsor USA internships.

Promote interdisciplinary relevance to archaeological research by

Providing field schools and laboratory research projects that incorporate interdisciplinary studies. Offering archaeological perspectives in non-archaeology classes and seminars through guest lectures. Exploring possible international research collaborations to enhance educational experiences.

Goal 4

To recognize and illuminate the human diversity inherent in prehistory and history as manifested in the archaeological record and to use that record for greater inclusion and participation of professionals and the public.

Encourage new and highlight existing research that illustrates the diverse peoples in Iowa’s archaeological record by

Featuring Iowa archaeological research in publications and public programs. Developing a series of brochures that expresses the diversity of Iowa revealed through its archaeological resources.

Encourage diversity in the discovery, research, and dissemination of archaeological information by

Advertising and encouraging participation in activities offered by other departments and institutions that feature information on cultural groups—past and present—throughout the state. Inviting a broad range of people to speak at the OSA Brown Bag Lecture Series and widely publicize these events. Developing an annual or semi-annual OSA lecture series that highlights the diversity of participation in researching Iowa’s archaeological past. Creating a well-integrated network of university-based partners supporting a variety of cultural heritage research, including the American Indian and Native Studies Program, Women’s Studies, Program, and African World Studies Program. Developing a degree program with the Department of Anthropology and American Indian and Native Studies Program for training Meskwaki and other Native American students in archaeology. Involving Native American groups from throughout the state and Midwest in Iowa archaeological investigations. Developing research with regional, national, and international partners oriented towards the understanding of Iowa’s archaeological heritage.

Support a diverse work force and promote a welcoming climate for the broader university community by

Maintaining and expanding staff diversity in all positions through a continued respectful and inclusive workplace environment and the active recruitment of a diverse employment pool. Seeking partnerships with other departments and units to develop a broad range of student research projects. Developing stronger ties with Anthropology and other UI departments that incorporate a diverse student and faculty population in researching human diversity. Encouraging the Regents’ institutions and statewide college communities to use OSA resources in faculty and student research.

Develop programs aimed at including broad-based community participation in understanding Iowa’s archaeological record by

Increasing interactions with various descendant communities. Expanding partnerships with K–12 education for assisting diversity learning in Iowa history. Developing partnerships with the Regents’ institutions, community colleges, private colleges, and ethnic cultural centers to encourage a greater diversity in research participation.

Goal 5

To strengthen the OSA’s intellectual and cultural vitality within the University of Iowa and throughout the mid-continent.

Build an exemplary archaeological research center by

Using office meetings as an opportunity for intra-office collaboration. Increasing interoffice, interdisciplinary, and intercollegiate collaboration. Maintaining competitive compensation for staff. Continuing support for staff professional development. Ensuring field and laboratory activities employ cutting edge practices and comply with applicable safety standards. Maintaining and enhancing gender and ethnic diversity opportunities.

Nurture creative leadership throughout the OSA and the field of archaeology by

Maintaining an open line of communication between managers and the rest of the OSA community. Providing an environment where innovation, flexibility, and collaboration are encouraged and rewarded. Increasing opportunities and support for leadership development. Ensuring an organizational environment with responsibility and accountability clearly defined and aligned with the OSA organization chart.

Make the best use of available resources by

Maintaining long-term budget stability and neutrality for General Education Funds and Facilities & Administration. Ensuring complete and thorough implementation of performance management policies. Hiring from a pool of existing hourly employees and research assistants. Directing resources to existing and emerging programs based on their centrality to the OSA’s mission and potential for sustained excellence. Employing staff collaboration for teaching, research, and public outreach. Revising internal program names and job titles to highlight our emphasis as a research facility.

Secure new resources and financial support by

Broadening the base of philanthropic support for archaeological research and scientific discovery. Marketing the OSA’s excellence through peer-reviewed publications, large research projects, high-quality cultural resource management, and excellent customer service. Enhancing support for staff in securing internal and external grant funding. Increasing partnerships with local, state, and federal entities for research and stewardship of archaeological materials. Ensuring proper space for field equipment maintenance, laboratory activities, and document and artifact collections curation. Establishing new positions in critical areas as funding allows.

Promote stewardship of the archeological record by

Excelling in the long-term conservation and protection of archaeological collections, records, and reports for student, professional, and public research. Fulfilling statutory obligations in maintaining the State Archaeological Archive, the Burials Program, the State Archaeological Repository, and the State Site Records on behalf of the public interest. Maintaining a vibrant, multi-constituent OSA Advisory Committee dedicated to interdisciplinary research and public dissemination of archaeological information throughout the university, state, and mid-continent.

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