Northern Arizona University and the Museum of Northern Arizona have renewed their long-standing partnership that provides access to learning opportunities for the university and the community.
NAU President John Haeger and Robert Breunig, director of the Museum of Northern Arizona, signed a contract extension this week that continues the collaborative work at both institutions.
Kelley Hays-Gilpin, anthropology professor at NAU and the museum’s Edward Bridge Danson Endowed Chair of Anthropology, will continue to work with the museum to further student learning opportunities in their studies of the Colorado Plateau.
“As a professor and curator, having a couple of my fingers in each pie enlivens my teaching and my research and keeps me engaged with a wider community,” Hays-Gilpin said. “This agreement helps NAU students and other community members to find expanded educational resources and augments the museum’s limited research staff.”
In addition to granting students access to internships, educational training and graduate assistant employment, the partnership gives faculty access to research opportunities involving the museum’s archives and collections.
The museum also will partner with NAU’s Native American Cultural Center on exhibits and public programs that foster understanding of the diverse traditions, perspectives and contributions of indigenous peoples of the region.
The two institutions will continue to collaborate on the American Southwest Virtual Museum website to provide virtual access to artifacts housed throughout the region.