Department Standing Committees

UNM Department of Anthropology Advisory Group

Membership The three subfield conveners as well as the undergraduate director, graduate director and associate/assistant chair.

Current Members

Sherry Nelson (Associate Chair)

Bruce Huckell (Graduate Committee Director)

Jeff Long (Undergraduate Committee Director)

Sherry Nelson (Evolutionary Anthropology Convener)

Suzanne Oakdale (Ethnology Convener)

Carla Sinopoli (Archaeology Convener)

Meetings Meetings of the Advisory Groups are convened by the Chair as needed.

Purpose The committee advises the Chair on matters relating to personnel, administration and budget and makes recommendations about planning, policy, procedures and other issues for discussion and vote by the full and/or subfield faculty. The Advisory Group itself is not a voting body; all decisions related these matters are decided by the full faculty.

UNM Department of Anthropology Undergraduate Committee

Membership The Undergraduate Committee is comprised of three members, one from each of the three subfields, appointed by the department chair. While there are no formal term limits, the department chair may, in consultation with the tenure-stream faculty, change the composition of the committee at any time.

Current Members

Jeff Long (Director, Evolutionary Anthropology)

Cate Rhodes (Ethnology) 

Michael Graves (Archaeology)  

Meetings The committee meets formally at least twice per semester during the fall and spring terms. The committee consults with the undergraduate advisor from the College of Arts and Sciences, who may attend meetings at the discretion of the committee members.  

The Director of the Undergraduate Committee is appointed annually by the department chair from among the three subfield members.

Purpose The director coordinates the following tasks of the committee:

  • Undergraduate advisement
    • major and career advising for undergraduate majors and minors
    • attending meetings with new majors, organized by the undergraduate advisor from the College of Arts and Sciences
  • Undergraduate curriculum
    • maintaining and updating all documents on the undergraduate section of the department’s website (https://anthropology.unm.edu/undergraduate/index.html)
    • updating the UNM course catalogue as curricular changes are made, per procedures outlined by the Registrar (https://registrar.unm.edu/faculty--staff-resources/index.html)
  • Undergraduate Core Curriculum and Degree-Program Assessment
    • collection of course and program assessment data
    • writing and submission of course and program assessment reports to the Office of Assessment and Academic Program Review
    • reviewing and revising assessment protocols based on assessment results
    • presenting assessment results and recommendations for course and program changes to the faculty
    • works with faculty and the Office of Assessment and Academic Program Review to recertify New Mexico Higher Education courses
  • Undergraduate awards
    • coordinates all aspects of undergraduate awards, including advertisement of undergraduate awards with the College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Advisor, selection of students for undergraduate departmental awards, and notifying students of decisions

UNM Department of Anthropology Graduate Committee

Membership  Comprised of three subfield representatives (one each from archaeology, ethnology, and evolutionary anthropology), plus the Graduate Advisor and Department Administrator, and, as needed, the Public Archaeology Program Director (in a non-voting capacity). 

The Director and members of the Graduate Committee are appointed by the Department Chair in consultation with subfield conveners. Ideally, 1) committee members will serve a term of 4 years (depending on subfield faculty schedules); 2) the directorship will rotate between the subfield members every 2 years beginning each fall; and 3) the Director will have served on the committee for at least one year prior to assuming the directorship.

Current Members

Bruce Huckell (Director, Archaeology)

Emily Jones (Public Archaeology Program)

Les Field (Ethnology) 

Martin Muller (Evolutionary Anthropology)

Manuel Edgardo Lopez Ainza (Senior Academic Advisor/Graduate Advisement) 

Meetings The Director schedules meetings throughout the year as necessary

Purpose Committee duties are to: 1) to advise graduate students; 2) coordinate program assessment and submit assessment reports; 3) select/recommend graduate students for department- and college-level awards; 4) assist the chair with planning, policies and procedures; 5) ensure that GA/TA assignments are made for appropriate classes and work with the Department Administrator to create contracts for students chosen to serve as GA/TAs; and 6) provide a faculty advisor to the Anthropology Graduate Student Union (AGSU).

The Graduate Director also serves as a member of the Chair’s Advisory Group, and works with the Department Graduate Advisor and Department Administrator to ensure that graduate funding opportunities are announced and awarded in a timely manner.

 With respect to Graduate Program assessment, the Graduate Director:

  • Coordinates with Graduate Committee members the collection of assessment data and the writing and submission of annual program assessment reports;
  • Keeps informed about changes in university assessment policies and recommendations;
  • Tracks graduate student job placements through post-degree surveys (which serve as an indirect assessment measure);
  • Reports assessment results annually to faculty;
  • Applies for funding for prospective graduate student visits;
  • Works with the Graduate Committee to review and revise assessment protocols and advising as needed based on results of assessments and surveys

UNM Department of Anthropology Colloquium Committee

Membership The Colloquium Committee is appointed by the department chair. It consists of one member from each subfield. Appointments will generally last two years. Once constituted, the committee members may elect a chair to coordinate meetings and keep track of speakers and the budget.

Current Members

Ian Wallace (Chair, Evolutionary Anthropology)

Les Field (Ethnology)

Osbjorn Pearson (Archaeology)

Meetings The committee chair schedules meetings throughout the year as necessary

PurposeThe purpose of the Colloquium Committee is to:

  • Select speakers for the weekly departmental colloquium series,
  • Coordinate the travel and agenda of invited speakers,
  • Publicize speakers and coordinates with other departments/units to publicize and/or co-sponsor speakers,
  • Schedule speakers to avoid conflicts, e.g., annual professional meetings, RPT talks, Snead-Wertheim Lectures, JAR Lectures, job talks.

Colloquium Committee members:

  • Seek input from their subfield faculty and students prior to issuing invitations to speakers,
  • Seek to secure extra-departmental funding support for speakers,
  • Select scholars who increase diversity in higher education,
  • Time permitting, give graduate students the chance to meet with speakers,
  • Manage the limited colloquium-series budget to maximize the number of speakers,
  • Announce upcoming speakers at each faculty meeting.

Additional information. The Colloquium Committee is funded by the Alfonso Ortiz Center for Intercultural Studies. Each subfield is allocated one third of the annual colloquium budget. The fiscal year begins on July 1. Funds for a given fiscal year will not carry over to the next fiscal year; they must be expended by June 15. If one or more subfields does not use its funds by June 1, the remaining subfields may spend the funds by June 15, e.g., to purchase advance airline tickets for designated future speakers. 

The Colloquium Committee is supported by the Lamphere Public Policy Fellow, whose duties may include assistance with publicizing colloquia, organizing receptions, and communicating with colloquium speakers in support of travel and preparation.