Dennis Van Gerven, PhD — Director

Dennis Van Gerven a President's Teaching Scholar, received his BA in Anthropology from the University of Utah, 1968. He did his graduate work at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and received his MA in 1969 and his PhD in 1971. He has been a member of the Anthropology Department at the University of Colorado since 1974 and is currently Director of the Arts and Sciences Honors Program.

Dr. Van Gerven teaches in areas of human origins, human adaptability, skeletal biology, and quantitative methods. He is particularly committed to undergraduate teaching through his introductory courses as well as courses in the Honors Program. Dr. Van Gerven is a two-time winner of the Boulder Faculty Assembly Teaching Award, The SOAR teaching award, the Honors Program teaching award, the Excellence in Education Outstanding Professor Award, and is the 1998-99 Carnegie Foundation Colorado Teacher of the Year.

Dr. Van Gerven has published widely on aspects of health and disease in ancient populations of the Nile Valley and is known for his extensive collection of mummified human remains from Sudanese Nubia housed at the University of Colorado.