Ken Nystrom, professor of anthropology, appointed Director of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship & Creative Activities

The Division of Academic Affairs announces the appointment of Professor of Anthropology Ken Nystrom as the Director of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship & Creative Activities (RSCA).

The RSCA Director plays a key role in promoting faculty-mentored research opportunities for undergraduate SUNY New Paltz students across the disciplines. The work includes coordinating grants, conferences, the annual Student Research Symposium and the Mentor of the Year award for faculty. Nystrom will serve in this role for a one-year term while previous RSCA Director Corwin Senko is on sabbatical.

Nystrom joined the faculty of the Anthropology Department in 2006. He earned his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in anthropology from the University of New Mexico.

His research and teaching spans the humanities and the social and hard sciences, drawing upon, for example, methods derived from biogeochemistry to address humanistic research questions such as the impact of manumission on people’s mobility. In recent years he has lent his expertise to the summer Archaeological Field School course, supporting a partnership between the University and community organizations to conduct bioarchaeological digs at key historical sites in the region.

Nystrom has held several leadership positions on campus, including serving as a Provost Fellow (spring 2014-spring 2015), chairing the Committee on Research, Awards, and Leaves (2013-15) and chairing the Anthropology Department for nine years (2014-23). He has past experience with the RSCA program as well, as he served on the program’s Advisory Board from 2012-2014 and has himself received eight combined SURE and AYURE awards to mentor students in his research areas.