Students

On April 14, Madeleine Harris, Anwar Mahagoub, and Patricia Torres-Pineda, students in the University of Michigan’s Museum Studies Program (MSP), presented their capstone project, “(Re)accrediting the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology: Plans for Marketing, Development, and Interpretive Efforts.” This project was the culmination of a semester-long endeavor to help the Kelsey prepare for its upcoming reaccreditation process through the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). 

AAM accreditation is the highest recognition afforded the nation’s museums, serving as a marker of excellence to institutional peers, grant-making individuals and agencies, and the general public. Approximately 1,000 museums are currently accredited by AAM—constituting about 3 percent of museums in the United States. The Kelsey Museum was first accredited in 1997 under the leadership of Elaine Gazda. It has since then been reaccredited twice, in 2007 and 2017. 

As part of this rigorous process, the AAM requires a self-study laying out a museum’s core operations, a site visit conducted by peer reviewers, and five “core documents”: a strategic plan, a mission statement, a code of ethics, a collections management policy, and an emergency response plan. But based on past suggestions by AAM officers, the Kelsey is also looking to submit three additional plans—development, interpretive, and marketing—that align with priorities put forth in our newly developed strategic plan. 

The challenge with creating these particular documents, however, lies in staffing and capacity: although the Kelsey Museum has long wanted to put pen to paper to draft these plans, we do not have full-time staff members devoted to development and marketing. 

That’s where the MSP students came in. After an initial meeting in January to learn more about our aspirations, the accreditation process, and the Kelsey’s particular needs, Madeleine, Anwar, and Pat hit the ground running. They researched comparative institutions, consulted AAM resources, and participated in brainstorming sessions with Jennifer Kirker (associate director), Will Pestle (director of education), and Emily Allison-Siep (communications editor). 

Next, the three students divided and conquered: Madeleine drafted the development plan, Anwar worked on the interpretive plan, and Pat took the reins on the marketing plan. The collaborative, iterative nature of the project meant that all three students contributed to all three plans, but this division ensured that each document had a self-appointed specialist to work through the intricacies of researching, writing, editing, and organizing, with continued input from Kelsey staff. 

“I found it challenging to coordinate so many people’s schedules for meetings, and to divide my focus across three plans simultaneously, although this became easier later in the semester, as we each took the lead on one of the three plans,” Madeleine noted. “But the project was still very rewarding, because these documents had never before been written for the Kelsey’s AAM reaccreditation, so I knew we were creating a blueprint that could serve the museum even years down the line.”

Anwar also commented on the challenges and rewards of the process: “It’s challenging to understand and plan a strategic solution for a museum problem in two months. However, pressure can sometimes generate the brightest ideas.”

Madeleine, a third-year PhD candidate in classical studies, tapped into her experience as a docent for the Kelsey Museum and U-M Museum of Natural History to devise strategies for the development plan. While the bulk of the Kelsey Museum’s funding currently comes from the University of Michigan, one of our strategic goals over the next ten years is to diversify our revenue streams. Madeleine’s plan thus lays out concrete objectives and plans of action to expand contributions from various income categories, including membership, planned and annual giving, and foundations.

A second-year student in the Masters in International and Regional Studies (MIRS) program, Anwar specializes in decolonizing archaeological practices. His role in developing and curating a community heritage center in El-Kurru, Sudan, meant that working on the Kelsey’s interpretive plan was a natural fit. Anwar’s document establishes a framework for communicating and engaging with the museum’s diverse audiences, intentionally shifting our interpretive focus by emphasizing audience engagement, multivocality in storytelling, inclusivity, active learning, and connections between ancient cultures and contemporary issues. 

Patricia is a fourth-year PhD student in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She drew upon her work at Museo de Historia Natural de Santo Domingo and the U-M Museum of Zoology to draft a marketing plan that balances aspiration with the Kelsey’s practical needs and current resources. Pat’s plan contained detailed analyses of our positioning, target audience, visitor experience, and branding, before offering an array of strategies that seek to expand visitorship, program participation, data-collection efforts, campus visibility, and more.

“I have always had an interest in the interpretation work happening in museums, but before this project, I had never thought deeply about the details regarding financial development or marketing that happen backstage,” Pat said. “Participating in this project was very relevant for my future career plans, which include curation of natural history collections and exhibitions by furthering my interpretation skills and developing new insights into how to make these projects financially sustainable and marketable.”

Participation in this project likewise aligned with Anwar’s personal and professional interests: “Given that I am collaborating with the Michigan team to establish a community heritage center, the knowledge I gained from working with Kelsey’s team will make my task easier and help me make informed decisions.”

As the Kelsey Museum continues to work on its self-study, refine its documents, and prepare for an on-site inspection in 2026, we are grateful to Madeleine, Anwar, and Pat for laying a solid foundation for these three plans. Their hard work and big ideas not only will set us up for success in reaccreditation but also leave us excited about the future of the Kelsey Museum.