Addressing the CRM Labor Crisis: A Successful Model of Archaeological Student Training in Arkansas

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In 2024, Arkansas Tech University (ATU), in partnership with the Ozark St. Francis National Forests and the WRI Research Station of the Arkansas Archaeological Survey, executed the first RPA4-certified Field School conducted on public lands in Arkansas. This four-week field school offered students and professional archaeologists the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a broad array of archaeological field methods and cultural resource management (CRM) practices. Through a combination of fieldwork on the Ozark St. Francis National Forests, interdisciplinary lectures, and practical exercises, students developed the technical skills necessary for conducting archaeological surveys, excavations, and site documentation in compliance with regulatory standards. Presented here are the results of a 210-acre survey on Meadows Knob, multiple historic and prehistoric site condition assessments, and extensive cataloging of cultural materials associated with the Ozark St. Francis National Forests. By the end of the ATU Field School, students demonstrated acquired practical skills, theoretical knowledge, and ethical awareness essential for careers in cultural resource management and archaeological research. Subsequent student placement in professional positions has been extraordinary as training is adapted to reflect the intensely growing need for CRM archaeologists across the field. Proposed plans for the 2025 ATU Field School will also be presented.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 53199