When not teaching inside the classroom, our professors are busy in the community. For nearly four years now, Assistant Professor of Ancient History Dr. Julia Troche has been working to make ancient Egypt more accessible and visible in the Ozarks. To this end, she recently co-founded a non-profit, Missouri chapter of the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), which is an organization whose mission is “to support research on all aspects of Egyptian history and culture, foster broader knowledge about Egypt among the general public, and strengthen American-Egyptian cultural ties” (ARCE.org).

ARCE-Missouri (ARCE-MO) represents all of Missouri and its surrounding areas; a fact reflected in the varied regions represented by its first Board, who all just so happen to be female Egyptologists from all stages of careers, as recent undergraduates to academics and museum docents: In Kansas City (the seat of the organization) resides ARCE-MO President, Stacy Davidson, and Treasurer, Rozanne Klinzing; out of St. Louis is Director Dr. Anne Austin; representing ARCE-MO in Rolla is Director Dr. Kathleen Sheppard; and representing Springfield is our Secretary, Missouri State graduate Dr. Lisa Saladino Haney, our Director and Bryn Mawr graduate Clara McCafferty Wright, and as previously mentioned, Dr. Julia Troche is ARCE-MO Vice President.