With cultural resource management (CRM) accounting for up to 90% of archaeology jobs in the United States, Michigan State University (MSU) has taken a major step forward by hiring Dr. Phyllis Johnson, a new assistant professor of anthropology, to launch the university’s first CRM lab and training program.
The CRM Lab, currently in development, hopes to support students with paid, hands-on experience in cultural resource management while completing archaeological contracts and generating revenue. Johnson envisions using the money generated from contract work to support the lab with equipment costs, graduate student assistantships, undergraduate internships and summer jobs. Once established, it will be the only lab of its kind in Michigan. Johnson said that while about 15 programs nationwide teach CRM in a serious way, only five have labs that both train students and generate revenue. Of those, just two are affiliated with Ph.D. programs—making MSU one of only three in the country to offer paid CRM training from the undergraduate to Ph.D. level.
This training prepares students for work in a field shaped by federal regulations. Under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, any project involving earth-moving activities that uses federal or, in some cases, state funding or permitting must first be evaluated by professional archaeologists. These CRM specialists assess the land to ensure historical and cultural sites are identified and protected before construction begins.
To help train the next generation of Spartan archaeologists, Johnson will teach CRM courses all designed to provide hands-on experience and better prepare students for the wide range of opportunities available in the field.
“Academic archaeology makes up about 10% of the job market, and with the number of Ph.Ds increasing every year, those jobs are becoming more and more competitive,” Johnson said. “Providing CRM training to our students will give them a real advantage as they enter the workforce.”
Becoming an Anthropologist
Johnson knew she wanted to be an archaeologist by age 9. Growing up in Ohio, her school’s history curriculum focused on the state’s past, and within the first few weeks of fourth grade, she and her classmates were introduced to archaeology.
“I remember asking my teacher if this archaeologist thing could be a real job, and she responded, ‘I don’t actually know,’” Johnson said.
Curious to learn more, she went to the library and checked out books on archaeology.
“I was hooked from the minute I learned that this was a job,” she said.
Johnson earned her undergraduate degree at Wright State University in Ohio before heading to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, for her master’s. There, she worked in an archaeology research lab that also operated as a CRM firm.
“The lab allowed students to obtain paid training opportunities in CRM and many of these students went on to have very successful careers in both academia and CRM,” Johnson said.
After completing her master’s, Johnson spent six years working for a CRM firm in Kentucky before pursuing a Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University.
Research and Fieldwork
Johnson’s research spans a wide range of topics, from analyzing use-wear on flake tools in eastern Tennessee to studying Maya archaeology. Her dissertation fieldwork in Guatemala focused on obsidian and chert production at a Maya site.
She also brings her current research to MSU, which examines soil samples from the Fort Ancient culture—a group that lived approximately 600 to 800 years ago in the Ohio Valley, Indiana, Kentucky and parts of Illinois, around the same time as the Mississippian people. Her work focuses on microartifact analysis, specifically microdebitage: the tiny flakes of stone produced during the creation of tools.
“Looking at these teeny tiny little pieces is really the only way to identify specific areas where stone tools have been made, because those tiny pieces stick into the ground and don’t get moved away like a physical tool would,” Johnson said.
Teaching Philosophy
This semester, Johnson is teaching Introduction to Archaeology, and in the spring, she’ll launch MSU’s first course in cultural resource management. As a first-generation college student who grew up in poverty, Johnson said her teaching philosophy centers on empathy and accessibility.
“I try to always remember that students are people first,” she said. “They come from all kinds of backgrounds and experiences.”
Through her classes, she hopes students gain a deeper understanding of how societies function, both in the past and present. She emphasizes that many ancient populations still exist today and that structural barriers continue to affect communities.
Johnson is especially passionate about mentoring women and marginalized students. She’s involved with the Fairfield Foundation, a nonprofit that supports early-career women in archaeology.
Joining MSU
Now at MSU, Johnson is excited to contribute to the Spartans Will legacy.
“Willpower resonates deeply with me—when I decide to do something, I make it happen,” she said. “Whether it was becoming an archaeologist at nine or returning to grad school with kids, I’ve never been one that allowed anything to stand in my way.”