We have all heard the quote about lies, damn lies, and statistics. Sometimes numbers don't mean much, but in other instances they can tell us a lot. Take, for example, 4,349, 302, 183, and 75. Alone these numbers are meaningless, but if you know that in 2010-2011 4,349 students took classes in anthropology and that we had 302 majors, 183 minors, and 75 graduate students, these numbers have context. We can make that context even more meaningful if you know that there are only 5,997 undergraduates at Washington University, or if you understand that the ratio of major enrollment to total undergraduate enrollment at Washington University is almost twice that of the nearest competitor. Those of you who graduated before 2000 might be amazed by how we have grown. But the more things change, the more they stay the same. We are still located in historic McMillan Hall where the department has been housed since it emerged from the joint sociology-anthropology department in 1968. Since that beginning, as the statistics show, the Department of Anthropology has developed into a thriving three-field department at the top of its field in almost every respect.

I can cite a battery of statistics about the anthropology department at Washington University because we have just gone through an external evaluation and we have compiled a great deal of data that provide a context for understanding just how remarkable this department is (I bet you didn't know that we went from 6 public health minors in 2008 to 160 in spring 2011, or that anthropology faculty teach more students per faculty member than any department in the university). What these numbers drive home is that your department is growing and becoming better with every passing year. As you will see in this newsletter, we have superb students; great, dedicated faculty; and an amazing staff. We also have an ever-growing network of alumni. Our Alumni Connections has grown to nearly 500 alums from around the world and represents an amazing array of careers and projects taken on by our highly talented and creative anthropology graduates. If you are not listed, please send us your information for future issues. We hope you will find this section useful and continue to stay in touch with the department through our newsletter or through email, phone, or personal visits whenever you have a chance.

We love hearing news of our alumni, and we are amazed by their resourcefulness and diverse endeavors. In this issue, we include a profile of alumnus David Ulevitch, a 2004 anthropology graduate who has developed and heads a company protecting the privacy of internet users. We are pleased to note that Robert C. Adler, AB 1972, DMD 1976, received the Washington University Distinguished Alumnus Award for his contributions to Washington University and to public health efforts in the Middle East. Gwen Adler, AB 1979, is a photographer whose background in anthropology informs her art. Bradford Billet, AB 1989, is a deputy commissioner in the Office of the Mayor of New York City, where he coordinates security and emergency issues and played an important role in the post-9/11 recovery process. Suzy Goldenkranz, AB 2007, is working with the Washington, D.C. Programs, an initiative linking Washington University with organizations in Washington, D.C. and creating opportunities for students to combine course work and a practicum focusing on public policy. Jesse Goldfarb, AB 2008, is working in Rwanda with an organization that provides resources to small farmers. Gregg Kennedy, AB 2009, is a medical student at Tulane University who finds needs to fill wherever he goes. See Class Notes for more news about our far-flung alumni.

We continue to strengthen our department through faculty promotions and new appointments. Michael Frachetti was awarded tenure this past spring. His work on pastoral nomads in Central Eurasia contributes to the department's strength in understanding emergent social complexity in small-scale societies, and his expertise in remote sensing and GIS provides training to our graduate and undergraduate students. I am pleased to announce the appointment of Elizabeth Quinn as assistant professor in physical anthropology. Her research specialty is human development and nutrition-related breastfeeding, a focus that will contribute to the strength of our biological and medical anthropology programs.

Our faculty members are at the forefront of research on significant scholarly topics and modern world problems. Their expertise is reflected in their excellent and innovative teaching, a hallmark of the department.

The huge growth of undergraduate enrollments in our courses is a consequence of the dedication of our faculty and the courses they offer that link academic training to real work communities. Anthropology is particularly well suited to consider some of the vexing problems that confront modern humans since the discipline also focuses on these problems as they appeared in the past. Courses like The Archaeology of Food and Drink and the Anthropology of Food offer perspectives from the archaeological and historical records as well as a focus on modern food practices. Courses such as Brave New Crops; The AIDS Epidemic; Kill Assessment: An Investigation into Death, Genocide, and Other Forms of Violence; Global Energy and the American Dream; Tobacco: History, Culture, Science, and Policy; and Cultures of Science and Technology are among many that consider modern-world issues. (You can see a complete listing of courses by current semester on our website). While our department has long provided courses that include research components, in recent years faculty members have developed a number of courses that provide fieldwork experience that you can read about in Anthropology Beyond the Classroom.

Anthropology faculty members conduct research all over the world. This newsletter includes a profile of Fiona Marshall, professor of archaeology, who investigates the general issue of animal domestication, most recently the ancestors and domestication of the donkey. I am happy to share faculty triumphs in notes on their publications, grants, and awards. We are very proud of the major awards our faculty members have received in the past year. You can learn even more about our faculty research on our department website.

We are pleased to celebrate the accomplishments of our graduate and undergraduate students whose research represents a range of anthropological inquiry. Current archaeology graduate student Helina Woldekiros reports on her research on the salt trade in the Afar region of Ethiopia. See some of the triumphs of our undergraduate and graduate students. Our anthropology community gathers at departmental functions like the Winter Party that foster the close community we have built even in our now-large department.

We are very fortunate to have added two new staff members with anthropological backgrounds to help with our large and growing department. Melissa Raguet-Schofield, who earned her PhD in physical anthropology in 2010, was hired as the department tutor. She serves as a teaching assistant in some of our large courses and helps develop pedagogical training for graduate students. Leah Miles joined the department with training in museum and archaeological work. She is the keeper of the website and hallway displays, organizes our many events, and oversees the planned and unplanned building issues. Our departmental family also grows with the addition of children born to our faculty and graduate students. This year we welcomed Manny Benson, Linnaea Wallsong, and Alexander Blackwell.

Enjoy the newsletter, and please keep in touch. You can reach us by contacting Kathleen Cook or by linking to Submit a Class Note. I hope you will let us know where you are and what you are doing, including any personal news you would like to share with your fellow alumni.

Best wishes in the coming year.

Yours sincerely,
T. R. Kidder
Chair, Department of Anthropology