The School of Anthropology at the University of Arizona has been ranked 5th in the nation for over twenty-three years by the National Research Council.

The School celebrated 90 years of excellence during the 2005-2006 academic year. All alumni (totaling over 4,000) and friends were invited to join the three-day celebration of this important accomplishment. We took this opportunity to look back at our many milestones; to reminisce on how the people of this School have impacted The University of Arizona, city, state, nation, and the world; to establish our vision for Anthropology's Centennial; and, most importantly, to improve funding opportunities for students. Most attendees were alumni and this occasion gave them an opportunity to help our current and future students by donating toward several existing scholarships that suffer from insufficient funding.

A focal point of the 90th Anniversary Gala Dinner was the presentation of the first Raymond H. Thompson Award to Anthropology Professor Emeritus Arthur J. Jelinek.

The Award, initiated this year by our School as part of our 90th anniversary celebrations, recognizes Ray Thompson's long-standing contributions to the development of anthropology as a discipline at the University of Arizona and beyond. We anticipate recognizing the unique contributions of one anthropologist every several years by way of the Thompson Award. The presentation of this first Thompson Award to Art Jelinek stems from our respect and admiration for him as both a colleague and a friend.

Over the course of his long career, Art Jelinek has accrued universal esteem for his contributions to the archaeology of the Middle Paleolithic in Western Eurasia and the Mimbres phenomenon of New Mexico.

In addition to the School's accomplishments, many units on campus had their genesis within the School of Anthropology such as:

• Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology
• Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research
• Geochronology Laboratories
• Near Eastern Studies
• University of Arizona Press
• Radiocarbon Age Determination Laboratory
• Social Perspectives in Medicine
• Southwest Center
• Arid Lands Studies
• American Indian Studies
• Mexican American & Raza Studies
• Africana Studies

Many of these units plus the Arizona State Museum, with whom the School of Anthropology shares many common goals, participated in the celebration by providing tours of their facilities, creating posters for the Haury Building, and providing financial support.

Anthropology is a premier school at the University of Arizona because of its relationships across the campus and the quality of the students, faculty, and staff. Please see Special Programs for more details.