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Name: John Pryor
Title: Professor
Department: Anthropology
Academic Degree(s):

• B.A in Anthropology, UC Santa Cruz
• M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology, State University Binghamton

How long have you worked at Fresno State and which offices have you worked in?
32 years for the Anthropology Department.

Are you a Valley native? If not, what brought you to the area? And Fresno State.
No , I came here to teach here.

Do you have a campus mentor or someone who has helped you in your career?
Dr. Roger LaJeunesse.

Tell us about your department and what people may not know about it.
I love teaching our diverse students. They bring so much to our classes. I also enjoy the fact that the Anthropology department only teaches at the undergraduate level. Because of this, we get to treat our undergraduates like graduate students. We all involve our students directly in our research projects. One more thing is usually when someone finds out I am an archeologist they say, "Oh I took a class in that and thought of majoring in Anthropology but my mom said you can't get a job in that." I am here to tell you all of your moms lied. There are actually lots of jobs in archeology.

What is your most notable accomplishment in your field, and why was it important?
Two of my most famous Native American Villages that I have dug are at the Skyrocket site, which has over 10,000 years of California history in one place and I have written children's stories about. The other is the Grandad site where we have had an archeological field school for 25 years and also has over 9,000 years of history recorded there.

What are you most passionate about in your field and why?
Increasing the number of Native American students attending here. Less than 1% graduate from college. I love mentoring students.

What is a memorable moment you had at your job?
We have a fertility rock (the Old Toad Woman - Oluxmuckiee) at Grandad. I tell my students, do not touch the rock, but they do and as a result we have had ten kids born over the years.

What is a memorable moment you had in class?
I dressed up as a minor 49 in my Social Science 110 class. Don't believe me? Check out my picture in the Education building.

What is your teaching style?
Teach by story telling.

What is your favorite quote or saying?
Google it.

What is the most interesting or unusual job you've ever had?
I get to work with Native American Elders and learn from their wisdom.

What do you like to do for fun in your spare time?
Play with my three cats and go for walks.

What is something interesting about you that most people don’t know?
There is actually a small part of me that is shy and insecure, yes even professors have that quality.

Is there something else you would like to share that was not asked?
If you want to learn more about me follow me on Facebook, John Pryor, or Instagram, Circle_up_Grandad. I have over 1800 followers.