2009 Distinguished Alumni Faculty Award

Adrian Praetzellis
B.A. Anthropology, 1981
Professor of Anthropology
Director of the Anthropological Studies Center

Adrian Praetzellis has been honored with the Distinguished Alumni Faculty Award for his commitment to community outreach and education. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction in Anthropology from Sonoma State University in 1981, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Praetzellis has a number of areas of specialization within Archaeology including; Historical, California, and Urban Archaeology, Cultural Resources Management, Archaeological Field Methods, Local History, and Research Methods. He has written two archaeology textbooks: Death by Theory (2000) and Dug to Death (2003) that have been used by dozens of universities throughout the world, including UC Berkeley, Stanford and Harvard. Dr. Praetzellis has published many articles, most recently “Cultural Resources Management” in the International Encyclopedia of Social Sciences.

He joined Sonoma State University as a staff archaeologist at the Anthropological Studies Center (ASC) in 1976 and in 1992, was hired as Assistant Professor of Anthropology. That same year, Dr. Praetzellis became director of the ASC, an on-campus research facility with a mission is to give students practical experience in archaeology and history. Over the years, ASC has been awarded over $30 million in archaeology-related grants and contracts. To teach archaeological methods, Dr. Praetzellis created an innovative ‘artificial archaeological site’ on campus, providing students with hands-on archaeological experiences. Annamarie M. Jennings, one of his students at the site, says: “Adrian introduced the subject to me in a way that no other professor could; his patience, humor and professional experience make his classes a challenge and a joy for students”

Dr. Praetzellis also serves on the Advisory Board of the Galbreath Wildlands Preserve, is a member of University Sponsored Programs Committee, and acts as faculty advisor to Hillel, SSU’s Jewish student organization. In his community, Dr. Praetzellis is a member of the Lifelong Learning Committee at Congregation Shomrei Torah and serves as the Secretary of Hillel of Sonoma County.

“Through my undergraduate career at Sonoma State University and as a PhD student I supported myself by working as an archaeologist at SSU. It’s not an exaggeration to say that I wouldn’t have a career without Sonoma State University.”