The UCSC Archaeological Research Center is the central hub for archaeological research on campus and across the broader Santa Cruz community. Since launching in 2014, we have raised over $100,000, allowing us to offer workshops, public programs, and grants for students.
Why do ARC grants matter to our students?
Our ARC grants can help offset the significants costs of attending archaeological field schools, ensuring students committed to a career in Archaeology have the opportunity to follow their dreams. Our seed grants provide enough funding to initiate small preliminary projects in their field of study, leading to larger grants from leading foundations.
What does your funding help us do?
For only $1,000, you can send an undergraduate or graduate student to the field, support a graduate student’s preliminary laboratory analysis, or fund a workshop or public lecture. Our public programs includes lectures on archaeological topics of general interest, as well as community events teaching archaeology to kids across Santa Cruz. Our workshops provide day long instruction in archaeological methods to students on our campus, allowing students to learn new techniques.
Anna O. Shepard Archaeological Futures Endowment
Judith Habicht Mauche, professor emerita of archaeology, is a modern-day pioneer who has established an endowed scholarship that will preserve programs and experiences in human exploration and develop the next generation of UCSC-trained archaeologists.
Anna O. Shepard was a trailblazing woman archaeologist who transformed the field in the early 20th Century. She pioneered the study of ceramic petrography in the United States, determining the provenance of painted vessels from sites throughout the Southwest.
She demonstrated that Ancestral Puebloans, specifically women, produced pottery on a large scale for trade throughout the region. She also analyzed Maya blue pigments, and glazed plumbate pottery from the Postclassic period in Mexico. Her book, Ceramics for the Archaeologist, published in 1956, still serves as a comprehensive reference for archaeologists today.
Shepard also stood for the essential values of equity, achievement, and transformative impact that we instill in all our students.
This endowment ensures that support for student research opportunities at UCSC will continue well into the future.
If you would like to make a permanent contribution to the Anna O. Shepard Archaeological Futures Endowment, please contact Joop Rubens to facilitate your donation. Your contribution will provide essential support to students as they advance their careers in Archaeology.
We depend on your support to advance our mission!