Benjamin Ford
- Contact
-
- Graduating Year
- 2009
- Degree
- Ph.D.
- Current Position
- Department Chair, Department of Anthropology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Biography
“I am a Professor and Department Chair of Anthropology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where I have worked since 2009. Prior to that, I spent five years earning a PhD from Texas A&M, where I had the opportunity to teach several courses and serve as a divemaster for the Red River Wreck excavations. I spent the remainder of my late teens and twenties earning degrees from the University of Cincinnati and the College of William and Mary, and working in CRM, which provided as much of an education as any degree. The professional accomplishments of which I am most proud include Our Blue Planet: An Introduction to Maritime and Underwater Archaeology (with Jessi Halligan and Alexis Catsambis), The Shore is a Bridge: The Maritime Cultural Landscape of Lake Ontario, being an Archaeological Institute of America McCann-Taggart Underwater Archaeology Lecturer, serving on the Pennsylvania Historic Preservation Board, and my nearly 50 former graduate advisees. I live in the western Pennsylvania town of Indiana with my wife and two sons, and serve on the Indiana Borough Council, chairing the Community Development Committee.”
Memories
“The two things I remember most about NAP are the freedom to try and the camaraderie. NAP offered an unparalleled opportunity to put almost any plan into action. I don’t recall ever being told “that’s impossible.” Whether it was asking to take over teaching an undergraduate course for a professor, bringing in an outside expert to teach a short-course, or putting together a multi-year survey, the answer was always “yes.” This response speaks to the resources of a top-tier research university, but more importantly embodies the NAP faculty perspective that no one does great things – like underwater archaeology – without thinking big and acting with intent. I also remember the joy of working closely with smart people who were excited about the same things I was. It was hard to tell where work ended, and socializing began as conversations began in the NAP Library and ended in a Northgate bar. Thinking big, acting with intent and the connections I made through NAP have shaped much of the last decade of my career. On more than one occasion, I’ve asked myself “what would Donny Hamilton do” and then called a NAP alum to talk through a plan.”