This story is part of a UToledo Faculty and Staff Spotlight series, where we feature uplifting stories of the remarkable achievements and contributions of hidden champions who call the University of Toledo home, fostering connections across campus. Cover graphic by Juice House. Image courtesy of Melissa Baltus.
Melissa Baltus is an associate professor of sociology and anthropology at the University of Toledo, where she often teaches introductory courses. She has authored five book chapters and two books, of which the most recent was published in 2023 on the dispersion of an Indigenous community and the movement of human populations. The JuicePress Team recently interviewed Baltus to learn more about her role and contribution to campus.
Q: How long have you worked at the university? Can you summarize what you do in your role at UT?
A: This is my eleventh year at UToledo. As faculty, I teach multiple classes, engage in research projects and publish the results of those projects, serve on committees for the department, the college and the university. I also mentor students who are doing independent research.
Q: What are your degrees in and where did you study?
A: My bachelor’s degree is in anthropology with a concentration in archaeology from Minnesota State University Moorhead. My master’s and Ph.D. are in anthropology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Q: What field or research area do you focus on? What initially sparked your interest?
A: My research is on archaeology of North America, focusing mainly on the Native American city of Cahokia near modern-day St. Louis. I grew up in northern Minnesota where local Indigenous history was taught in school and I visited sites often at state parks. I hadn’t heard of Cahokia until college though, and was fascinated by this city in the middle of the U.S. which we know less about than we do sites on the other side of the world.
Q: Tell us about your academic journey, what were some pivotal moments for you?
A: I was lucky and knew I wanted to go into archaeology when I started undergrad, which helped narrow down my selection of school. There, I benefited from working with a well-known archaeologist who, along with a department full of faculty dedicated to student experience, made sure we had opportunities to apply our knowledge outside of the classroom. This included connecting students with employment as soon as we were eligible. After working in cultural resource management — archaeology to ensure compliance with preservation laws — I knew I wanted to further my education with a Ph.D., specifically studying Cahokia. Again, I was lucky to study under a prominent scholar of Cahokia who also made it his goal to provide students with as much hands-on experience [as] possible. I worked with him on multiple field projects, along with one of my best friends who is now my collaborator on a National Science Foundation project.
I took a minor detour during graduate school, moving away from UIUC so my spouse could earn his master’s degree. This meant that I was working full time while trying to write my dissertation — I do not recommend. The positive part of this was that I worked for the Illinois State Archaeological Survey, which allowed me to remain active in Illinois archaeology, work on interesting projects and learn more about the archaeological record of northern Illinois compared to the area I knew best around Cahokia.
Q: Who or what has been a significant influence on your professional journey?
A: My two formal advisors in undergrad and grad school were clearly influential, as was the undergrad professor who introduced me to Cahokia, but my biggest influence has been the cohort of friends that I made as a graduate student. Almost 20 years later, we are each other’s biggest supporters and most valuable critics for the work that we do.
Q: What excites you most about the future of your field?
A: In recent years, there has been greater communication between archaeologists and the Indigenous communities whose history we study. I am looking forward to a future where research is fully collaborative and driven by questions important to descendent communities.
Q: What advice would you give to students who are interested in pursuing a career in your field?
A: Take advantage of every opportunity to engage with the work — each site is different, each assemblage of artifacts is different, there’s something new to learn in each field or lab opportunity.
Q: Can you share about a project or research initiative you’re particularly proud of?
A: I’m currently in the middle of an NSF-funded project researching the peripheral neighborhoods of Cahokia. We’re hoping to learn more about how well physically marginal neighborhoods were connected with the core of the city and how that may have contributed to how long people may have lived there. This could provide new ways of thinking about our own cities and how to best support people living in diverse neighborhoods, especially at the edges.
Q: What are some of your most significant achievements at the university?
A: I was awarded the President’s Award for Outstanding Contributions in Scholarship and Creative Activity as well as the Outstanding Teacher award for the college — Arts and Letters at that time, now the Judith Herb College of Arts, Social Sciences and Education.
Q: In what ways have you contributed to the broader university community?
A: I teach a lot of introductory classes, which count as core curriculum or general education classes. I hope I’m reaching a lot of students to instill the importance of the past and the need to preserve the archaeological record.
Q: How do you support students outside of the classroom?
A: I try to provide a similar hands-on experience for my students, largely by offering opportunities to work in the lab either as volunteers or, if funding is available, as paid lab assistants.
Q: What is a meaningful or favorite memory you have of being an undergraduate or graduate student?
A: My first field school — we were excavating an early Euroamerican settler’s cabin and in my first shovel test I found a Native American spear point. Not the material we were looking for, but total serendipity!
Q: What do you enjoy about living in the Toledo area?
A: The Metroparks — having these green spaces does wonders for the soul. They have done so much to expand the park system to be accessible to most people in the Toledo area and provide really great programming to get the community involved.
Q: What hobbies or interests do you pursue outside of work?
A: Anything outdoors — camping, hiking and kayaking especially. To decompress, I do yoga and paint. I also enjoy buying books — and reading them when there’s time.
Q: What is a fun fact about yourself?
A: I grew up in the town Judy Garland was born in — and where the ruby slippers were stolen from in 2005.
Note: Responses from the interviewee were received by email and have been edited for grammar and clarity.
