Hi everyone,
This morning, I received an email from Joel asking for me to write a few words regarding the role OPA played in my academic and professional development.
Apparently Dean Magelby and his cronies at the FHSS college are twirling their bowties in scrutiny of Uncle OPA.
Joel asked for a paragraph, but I ended up writing a letter. I'm sure many of you were also asked to write something about OPA, but I thought I'd post this in case Joel missed you. I'm sure he'd take unsolicited letters (paragraphs) regarding your esteem of OPA and a description of its value to you.
Here's a copy of my letter. Apologies for the length.
September 26th, 2010
Aaron R. Woods
Ph.D. Student
4505 S. Maryland Pkwy Mailstop 455003
Department of Anthropology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Las Vegas NV 89154-5003
College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences
990 Spencer W. Kimball Tower
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah 84604
To Whom It May Concern,
It has been brought to my attention that once again, the Office of Public Archaeology (OPA) is being scrutinized by your college in regards to its contributions to student training and experience. I am writing this letter on behalf of OPA to provide some insight into the vital role this organization played in providing me with valuable, real-world skills. These skills have allowed me to find gainful employment and experience success in my current Ph.D. studies.
By way of introduction, my name is Aaron R. Woods. I received my BA (2005) and MA (2009) in anthropology with an emphasis in archaeology from Brigham Young University. I am currently in my second year of Ph.D studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. While attending BYU, I was an employee of OPA for six years.
In 2003, I became acquainted with Richard Talbot and Lane Richens at a BYU archaeological field school held in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument under the direction of Dr. Joel C. Janetski. During this field school, I was able to work closely with both Richard and Lane. This close working relationship helped me learn many things that contributed to my fledgling capabilities as an archaeologist. At field school, I received a mere introduction to the requisite knowledge and abilities necessary to function in an archaeological career. Therefore, I was very excited to be hired to work for OPA at the end of the 2003 field school.
During my time with OPA, I acquired key abilities that have enabled me to serve as a professional consultant, student supervisor, and contributing member of the anthropological community in recent years. For those unfamiliar with the world of archaeology, there are several skills needed in order to function in a professional capacity. Two of the most important are field research methods and report writing. OPA excels in both of these areas. Richard Talbot and Lane Richens are experts in current archaeological excavation and survey methods. The time I spent with them doing field research provided a vital foundation for subsequent archaeological investigations with other professors, institutions, and contract companies.
OPA is also to be commended for their excellent, well-researched, and visually stimulating field reports. The standards of research, prose, presentation, and delivery present in the reports and literature produced by OPA continue to surpass industry standards. As a student employee, I had numerous occasions to contribute to these reports. A significant portion of my curriculum vitae consists of reports and research performed while working for OPA. I am especially grateful for the time that OPA invested in teaching me valuable and marketable report writing skills. These abilities have facilitated and cemented many relationships with peers, professors, and potential employers outside of BYU.
Finally, it is necessary to mention the key role that OPA played in facilitating the research and writing of my Master’s thesis. Were it not for the financial support (student salary), generous access to archaeological collections, access to reports, and the use of OPA resources, my thesis would have never gotten off the ground. In addition, the numerous discussions I had with Richard Talbot and Lane Richens, both in and out of the office had significant impact on the theoretical perspectives present in my thesis and that I continue to utilize.
The Office of Public Archaeology is a vital institution that has contributed significantly to my career and the careers of numerous professional archaeologists. Dissolution and continued or amplified neglect of OPA by the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences would be/is a great a disservice to anthropology/archaeology students studying at BYU, professional archaeologists working the Great Basin, and the general scope of archaeological research concerning prehistoric and historic cultures present in the Great Basin and American Southwest. In addition, it is my opinion, that without an OPA-type organization present at BYU, the Department of Anthropology (and by default, the college of FHSS) will produce less skilled archaeology students that will experience a greater struggle to find employment in State, Federal, Private, or Academic positions. It is my hope that this letter and additional words and examples by my peers and colleagues will reiterate the important role that OPA has played in our education and preparation for life beyond the university setting.
Sincerely,
Aaron R. Woods
Ph.D. Student
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
