Thomas C. Pleger, Ph.D., RPA

Associate Campus Dean and Associate Professor of Anthropology
University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley

Curriculum Vitae

Education:

Ph.D. (Anthropology/Archaeology) 1998, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dissertation: Social Complexity, Trade, and Subsistence During the Archaic/Woodland Transition in the Western Great Lakes (4000-400 B.C.): A Diachronic Case Study of Copper Using Cultures at the Oconto and Riverside Cemeteries.
Minor: Geography

M.A. (Anthropology/Archaeology) 1993, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

B.S. (Political Science) 1991, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Minor: Anthropology/Archaeology. Graduated with honors. Semester abroad, 1989, University of Wisconsin at Dalkeith, Scotland program.

Professional Experience:

Associate Campus Dean, Half time appointment, University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley (2001-present)

• Responsible for providing assistance with staffing and planning for the Campus Dean. The Associate Dean oversees the campus curriculum, course timetable, staffing budget, and the hiring and retention of instructional academic staff. UW-Fox Valley has an enrollment of over seventeen hundred students and a teaching staff comprised of over ninety faculty and instructional academic staff.

Registered Professional Archaeologist (RPA) 1999-present

Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley (2005-Present)
Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley (2000-2005).
Senior Lecturer, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley (1998-2000). Undergraduate courses taught (syllabi available upon request):

• LEC 100: First Year Experience Seminar
• Anthropology 100: General Anthropology (introduction to the three sub-fields of anthropology, 3 credits)
• Anthropology 102: Archaeology and the Prehistoric World (introduction to archaeology from the origins of culture to beginnings of the historic record, 3 credits)
• Anthropology 105: Introduction to Physical Anthropology (introduction to primatology, paleoanthropology, and human biological anthropology, 3 credits)
• Anthropology 105 Lab: Introduction to Physical Anthropology Laboratory Methods (introduction to primatology, paleoanthropology, and human biological anthropology, 1 credit, must be taken in conjunction with Anthropology 105 lecture)
• Anthropology 104: Cultural Anthropology (survey of cultural anthropology with emphasis on ethnographic description, methodology, and contemporary theory, 3 credits)
• Anthropology 299: Independent Study, (1-6 credits variable)
• Anthropology 302: Wisconsin Archaeology (survey of Wisconsin's prehistoric and historic Native American cultures, 3 credits, also offered via compressed-video distance learning format to multiple UW campuses)
• Anthropology 308: North American Archaeology (survey of the prehistoric archaeology of North America, 3 credits)
• Anthropology 314: North American Indians (ethnographic survey of Native American cultures, 3 credits)
• Anthropology 370: Archaeology Field School (Field Methods Course, 1-6 credits)

Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin (1999-2000).

• Anthropology 11: Introduction to Biological Anthropology
• Anthropology 80: Senior Seminar in Wisconsin Archaeology

Adjunct Research Archaeologist, Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (1998-2000).

• Research/contract archaeology consultant

Wisconsin Humanities Council Speakers Bureau Lecturer, Wisconsin Humanities Council, Madison, WI (1999-present).

• Lecturer/speaker for the WHC Speakers Bureau
• Present lectures on Wisconsin Archaeology for the public throughout Wisconsin

President of the Wisconsin Archaeological Survey, (WAS), State of Wisconsin's organization/membership of professional archaeologists (2000-2001).

Instructor, Department of Sociology/Archaeology, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (1994-1998). Courses taught (syllabi available upon request):

• Archaeology 100: Discover Our Past (introduction to archaeological method and theory, 3 credits)
• Archaeology 200: World Archaeology (survey course on world prehistory, 3 credits)
• Archaeology 399/599: Archaeology of the Western Great Lakes (regional prehistory course, 3 credits)
• Archaeology 499: Senior Thesis (senior thesis advisor)

Research Assistant, Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (1994-1998). Contract archaeology consultant. Directed and supervised student and staff during CRM and research projects; wrote contract proposals and grant applications; supervised data retrieval, processing, and analysis; wrote and produced reports.

Instructor, Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison (summer 1994). Taught Anthropology 310: Topics in Archaeology, Wisconsin Archaeology (undergraduate/graduate course, 3 credits).

Instructor/lecturer, University of Wisconsin-Marinette (fall 1993-summer 1994). Taught Anthropology 353: Indians/Archaeology of the Western Great Lakes (undergraduate/graduate course, 3 credits). Summer 1994, taught Anthropology 299: Archaeology Field School.

Additional Teaching Development and Advising Experience:

• Attended University of Wisconsin System Faculty College, Undergraduate Teaching Improvement Council, May 28-June 1, 1997, University of Wisconsin Center-Marinette.
• Numerous public presentations, tours, and lectures on archaeology-related topics (1991-present).
• Faculty advisor, Archaeology Club, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (1996-1997).
• Associate Member, Graduate Faculty, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Graduate Council (1996-1998).
• Faculty co-advisor, Earth Science Club, University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley (1998-1999).
• Faculty advisor, Anthropology/Archaeology Majors, University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley (1998-present).
• Attended University of Wisconsin System Teaching Technology Conference, Undergraduate Teaching Improvement Council, January 12, 1999, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
• Attended University of Wisconsin System Faculty College, Undergraduate Teaching Improvement Council, 1999, University of Wisconsin-Marinette.
• Attended the 1999 Undergraduate Teaching Improvement Council Teaching Fellows Summer Institute, July 26th-August 5th, UW-Madison.
• Panel member for: On the Road to Tenure: Tips from Veteran Travelers, UW-Teaching Fellows; 6th Annual Preparing Future Faculty Conference: "The Scholarship of Teaching", University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee & Marquette University, November 5th, 1999, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
• Co-taught a course on Belize archaeology and ecology with UW-Fox Valley Campus Dean James Perry. Course was offered through UW-Fox Valley Continuing Education and was offered at Chan Chich Lodge, Belize, Central America, 1/7-13/2001.
• Represented UW-Fox Valley and the UW-Colleges at the Association of American Colleges and Universities “Learning Communities: Strategies for Strengthening Connections, Competence, and Commitment”, March 1—3, 2001, Providence, Rhode Island.

Awards:

• University of Wisconsin System, Undergraduate Teaching Improvement Council/OPID Teaching Fellow, (teaching excellence award and development program to conduct a scholarly teaching project), 1999-2000.
• UW-Fox Valley 1999 Teacher of the Year Award, Presented by the UW-Fox Valley Student Association.
• 2000 Cutting Edge Award In Higher Education, presented by the Appleton Area Rotary Clubs.
• 2001 Lapham Research Medal awarded by the Wisconsin Archaeological Society for Distinguished Service in Anthropology Research.

Committee/Service Appointments:

• Internet/web-site committee, Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University of Wisconsin- La Crosse, 1996-1998.
• University of Wisconsin-Colleges (State Wide) Professional Development Committee of the UW-Colleges Senate, 1998-2000.
• UW-Fox Valley Appointments Committee, 1999-2001.
• UW-Fox Valley Instructional Technologies Committee, 2000-2001.
• UW-Fox Valley Staffing Prioritization Committee, 2001
• UW-Fox Valley/UW-Colleges Faculty Senator, 2001.
• UW-Fox Steering Committee, 2003-2004
• UW-Fox Lecture Fine Arts Committee, 2004
• Ph.D. Dissertation Committee for Mr. Nathan S. Lowrey, American University, Washington D.C. Thesis defended in April of 2004.
• M.A. Dissertation Committee for Ms. Lanna Crucefix’s Master’s thesis committee, Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Thesis defended on November 8, 2001.

Active Research & Specialization:

• Archaeology of the Western Great Lakes/Midwest Region.
• Archaic subsistence strategies in the Upper Midwest.
• Copper tool technology and its relationship to subsistence and mortuary practices in the Upper Great Lakes.
• Social complexity of hunter-gatherers during the Archaic/Woodland transition in the Western Great Lakes.
• Old Copper Complex
• Red Ocher Complex
• Historic archaeological research at the Green Island Light Station, Green Island Wisconsin.
• History of Midwest and North American Archaeology.
• Archaeological applications of black & white and color-reversal 135 mm photography.

Professional Memberships:

• Wisconsin Archaeological Society
• Wisconsin Archaeological Survey
• Society for American Archaeology
• Register of Professional Archaeologist
• Coalition of the Liberal Arts Deans of Wisconsin (2001)

Scholarship and Professional Development:

Peer Reviewed Journal Publications

Pleger, Thomas, C.
1992 A Functional and Temporal Analysis of Copper Implements from the Chautauqua Grounds Site (47-Mt-71), a Multi-component Site near the Mouth of the Menominee River. The Wisconsin Archeologist 73(3):160-176.

2000 Old Copper and Red Ocher Complexity, Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology 25:169-190.

2001 (actually published in 2003) New Dates for the Oconto Old Copper Culture Cemetery." Papers in Honor of Carol I. Mason. edited by Thomas C. Pleger, Robert A. Birmingham, and Carol I. Mason. The Wisconsin Archeologist, Volume 82, No. 1 & 2, pp. 87-100.

Stevenson, Katherine, Robert F. Boszhardt, Charles R. Moffat, Philip H. Salkin, Thomas C. Pleger, James L. Theler, and Constance Arzigian
1997 The Woodland Tradition. In Wisconsin Archaeology, edited by Robert A. Birmingham, Carol I. Mason, and James B. Stoltman, a special issue of The Wisconsin Archeologist, Volume 78, Number 1/2, The Wisconsin Archaeological Society, Milwaukee, WI.

Selected Book Reviews in Professional Journals

Pleger, Thomas, C.
2001 Book Review of Indian Mounds of Wisconsin. Wisconsin Geographer, Volume 17, pp. 40-42.

2004 (December, in-press) Book Review of Twelve Millennia: Archaeology of the Upper Mississippi River Valley, University of Iowa Press, Voyager: Northeast Wisconsin’s Historical Review, December, 2004.

2004 (December, in-press) Book Review of Like a Deer Chased by the Dogs: The Life of Chief Oshkosh, Oshkosh Public Museum, Voyager: Northeast Wisconsin’s Historical Review, December, 2004.

Non-Peer Reviewed Journal Publications

Pleger, Thomas C.
2003 A Brief Introduction to the Old Copper Complex of the Western Great Lakes: 4000-1000 BC. In Proceedings of the Twenty-seventh Annual Meeting of the Forest History Association of Wisconsin, Inc. Oconto, Wisconsin, October 5, 2002, pp. 10-18.

Stark, Peter A., Thomas C. Pleger, and Ronald J. Strojny
1999 Speculations On The Uses of Specularite. Fox Valley Archaeology: The Journal of the Robert Ritzenthaler Chapter Wisconsin Archaeological Society. Number 28, pp. 10-31. University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Peer Edited Volume Contributions

Pleger, Thomas, C.
2002 Pleger, Thomas C., "Old Copper Complex," p. 851. In Encyclopedia of the Ancient World, edited by Thomas J. Sienkewicz (2 vols.). Salem Press, Inc. Pasadena, California.

2004 “Old Copper Complex Flourishes in North America”, pp. 79-80, in Great Events from History, Prehistory-476 C.E., Edited by Mark W. Chavalas, Salem Press, Pasadena, CA.

Martin, Susan, R. and Thomas C. Pleger
1999 The Complex Formerly Known as a Culture: The Taxonomic Puzzle of "Old Copper", pp. 61-70. In Taming the Taxonomy: Toward a New Understanding of Great Lakes Archaeology, edited by Ronald F. Williamson and Christopher M. Watts, Eastend Books and the Ontario Archaeological Society, Toronto, Canada.

Pleger, Thomas C. and James B. Stoltman
(In-press/preparation) The Archaic Tradition in Wisconsin, In: The Archaic of Eastern North America, Edited by Thomas Emerson, University of Nebraska Press (scheduled for publication in fall of 2005).

Selected Technical Reports

Pleger, Thomas, C.
1992 Green Island Light-Station, Wisconsin: A Synthesis of Related Historical and Archaeological Data. Report on file and in Special Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison, and the Institute for Great Lakes Research, Perrysburg, Ohio. (Also presented at 38th annual Midwest
Archaeological Conference, Milwaukee, October 1993.)

1995 An Archaeological Phase I Investigation of the Proposed Construction Site for the New Richland Center High School, Richland Center, Richland County, Wisconsin. Reports of Investigations No. 197. Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

1996 A Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Floodplain of Pool No. 3 of the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Reports of Investigations No. 206. Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

1997 A Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Floodplain of Pool Nos. 5, 5A, and 6 of the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Reports of Investigations No. 248. Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

1997 A Phase I Archaeological Survey of the Floodplain of Pool No. 8 of the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Reports of Investigations No. 282. Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

1999a A Phase I Archaeological Investigation for a Proposed Cellular Tower Construction Project near Mackville, Outagamie County, Wisconsin. Reports of Investigations No. 334 of the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

1999b A Phase I Archaeological Investigation for Proposed Cellular/Water Tower Modifications, Village of Allouez, Brown County, Wisconsin. Reports of Investigations No. 335 of the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

1999c A Phase I Archaeological Investigation for a Proposed Water Treatment Facility in Iola, Waupaca County, Wisconsin. Reports of Investigations No. 352 of the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

2002 A Phase I Archaeological Survey of a Proposed Railroad Spur, New London Industrial Park, New London, Outagamie County, Wisconsin. Reports of Investigations No. 474 of the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

2003 Archaeological Monitoring of the Pavilion Project at Stephenson Island, City of Marinette, Marinette County, Wisconsin. Reports of Investigation Number 497 of the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, WI 54601.

Moffat, Charles, Barbara Bielefeldt, Robert Boszhardt, Thomas Pleger, and Patrick Stewart
1997 Archaeological Site Evaluations Within the Biron Flowage Hydroelectric Project, Portage and Wood Counties, Wisconsin. Reports of Investigations No. 285. Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Moffat, Charles, Thomas Pleger, Lisa Ching, Barbara Bielefeldt, Chris Mikulla, and Constance Arzigian
1997 Archaeological Site Evaluations Within The Steven's Point Hydroelectric Project, Portage County, Wisconsin. Reports of Investigations No. 283. Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Moffat, Charles R., R. Patrick Stewart, Thomas C. Pleger, Constance Arzigian, and Dean G. Wilder
1996 Archaeological Data Recovery at the Chally/Turbenson Site (21-FL-71) and the Mundform/Till Site (21-Fl-73), Fillmore County, Minnesota. Reports of Investigations No. 220. Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Pleger, Thomas, and Wendy K. Holtz
1998 Phase III Archaeological Data Recovery at the River Resort Site (47-Gt-601), Village of Bagley, Grant County, Wisconsin. Reports of Investigations No. 297. Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Pleger, Thomas C. and Nathan Lowrey
1999a A Phase I Archaeological Investigation for Proposed Restorations Along Bellaire Creek, Peabody Park, City of Appleton, Outagamie County, Wisconsin. Reports of Investigations No. 344 of the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

1999b A Phase I Archaeological Investigation for Proposed Improvements at the UW-Marinette Campus, Marinette County, Wisconsin. Reports of Investigations No. 345 of the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Selected Professional Paper Presentations

Pleger, Thomas, C.
1991 Seasonal Occupation and Grouping at the Chautauqua Grounds Site (47-Mt-71), A Multi-component Site Situated near the Junction of the Menominee River and the Bay of Green Bay. Paper presented at 36th annual Midwest Archaeological Conference, La Crosse.

1993 A Functional and Temporal Analysis of Copper Implements from the Chautauqua Grounds Site (47-Mt-71), a Multi-component Site near the Mouth of the Menominee River. Paper presented at 38th annual Midwest Archaeological Conference, Milwaukee.

1995 Archaic/Woodland Mortuary Use of Native Copper as an Indicator of Social Complexity and Subsistence Specialization in the Western Great Lakes. Paper presented at 60th annual meeting, Society for American Archaeology, Minneapolis.

1996 New AMS Radiocarbon Dates from the Oconto Old Copper Culture Cemetery (47-Oc-45). Presented at 41st annual Midwest Archaeological Conference, Beloit.

1997 Blue-Gray Chert, Black Glass, Red Metal, and the Red Ocher Mortuary Ceremonial Complex: New Radiocarbon Dates for the Red Ocher Associations and Trade in the Great Lakes Region. Paper presented at 62nd annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Nashville.

1999 Old Copper and Red Ocher Social Complexity. Presented at a symposium in honor of James B. Stoltman, The Society for American Archaeology, 64th Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, March 27th

2000 New Dates for Red Ocher Complex Mortuary Associations from the Riverside Cemetery, Menominee County, Michigan. Paper presented at the Joint Midwest Archaeological/Plains Anthropological Conference, St. Paul, MN, November 9th-12th, 2000.

2001 The Importance of fishing in Old Copper and Red Ocher Complex Subsistence Strategies in the Western Great Lakes. Presented at the 47th Annual meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference in La Crosse, WI, October 12-14, 2001.

2002 Indian Copper Culture in the Oconto Area. Presented at the Forest History Association of Wisconsin Annual Meetings, Oconto, Wisconsin, October 5, 2002.

2003 Teaching Local Archaeology throughout the Great State of Wisconsin: A Case Study in Distance Learning. Society of American Archaeology 68th Annual Meeting, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, April 9-13, 2003.

Martin, Susan, R. and Thomas C. Pleger
1997 The Complex Formerly Known as a Culture: The Taxonomic Puzzle of Old Copper. Presented at Taming the Taxonomy: Toward a New Understanding of Great Lakes Prehistory, the Joint Symposium of the Ontario Archaeological Society and the Midwest Archaeological Conference, North York, Ontario.

Pleger, Thomas, and Nathan Lowrey
1995 A Preliminary Report of the 1994 Field Research at the Chautauqua Grounds Site (47-Mt-71), Located Along the Western Shore of Green Bay, Marinette County, Wisconsin. Presented at the 40th annual Midwest Archaeological Conference, Beloit.

2000 Landscapes of Contention: Socioeconomic Intensification and the Rise of Communalism among the Effigy Mound Builders. Paper presented at the 65th Annual Meetings of the Society for American Archaeology, Philadelphia, PA.

Pleger, Thomas C. and James B. Stoltman
2004 The Archaic Tradition in Wisconsin, Paper presented at The Urbana Conference on the Archaic Societies of the Midcontinent, Sponsored by the Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program, University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign, Dec. 2-3. 2004.

Grant Awards:

• Academic Staff Improvement Grant, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, to continue and complete Ph.D. research (1997).
• Physics Radiocarbon Laboratory at the University of Arizona to run 12 accelerator mass spectrometry dates for dissertation research (1995, valued at $6,000).
• Numerous accepted contract archaeology proposals, Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center (1994-1998).
• 1999 UW-Colleges Technology Grant to develop and deliver Wisconsin Archaeology (Anthropology 302) via compressed-video distance education.
• Numerous UW-ox Valley Professional Development Grants (1998-present).

References:

Dr. James Perry, UW-Fox Valley Campus Dean/CEO
University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley
1478 Midway Road, Menasha, WI 54952
(920) 832-2610

Dr. Ronald Lippi, Department Chair
Department of Anthropology and Sociology of the UW-Colleges
UW-Marathon County
518 South 7th Ave.
Wausau, WI 54401-5396
(715) 261-6262

Dr. James Stoltman, Emeritus Professor
Department of Anthropology
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI 53706
(608) 836-8020

Dr. James Gallagher, Emeritus Professor
Department of Sociology and Archaeology
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
La Crosse, WI 54601
(608) 785-8463

Dr. James Theler, Professor of Archaeology
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
La Crosse, WI 54601
(608) 782-2356

Dr. Ronald J. Mason, Emeritus Professor
Department of Anthropology
Lawrence University
Appleton, WI 54911
(920) 734-4268

Dr. Carol I. Mason, Emerita Professor
Department of Anthropology
University of Wisconsin - Fox Valley
1478 Midway Road
Menasha, WI 54952
(920) 734-4268

Mr. Robert Boszhardt, Associate Director
Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
La Crosse, WI 54601
(608) 785-8451

Dr. Peter Peregrine, Department Chair
Department of Anthropology
Lawrence University
Appleton, WI 54911
920-832-7684