Training a New Generation of Heritage Professionals in the Valley of the Sun: The ASU Field School at S’eḏav Va’aki

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Training a New Generation of Heritage Professionals in the Valley of the Sun: The ASU Field School at S’eḏav Va’aki" at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In spring 2023, Arizona State University held a new archaeological field school program, designed in collaboration with the City of Phoenix Archaeologist’s Office, focused on a portion of S’eḏav Va’aki (formerly known as Pueblo Grande). The City of Phoenix archaeologist approached ASU in 2021 with a proposal to develop a field school that would help the city create a management plan for a parcel of land within the boundaries of S’eḏav Va’aki. This session presents the results of our collaboration, as well as critical assessments of the lessons learned from the process for both the university and the city, including challenges, successes, and ways that future such activities could be improved. These lessons are not only relevant to course participants but also archaeology instructors beyond ASU looking to develop more easily accessible field training opportunities and governmental employees hoping to establish partnerships with colleges and universities that can serve to train the next generation of heritage professionals.