Nominated by colleagues, current students, and alumni, Pelletier is noted for setting high standards for her students and for utilizing a teaching style that puts students at ease and creates an open atmosphere in classroom and office. She’s a storyteller whose stories link academic concepts and material to real-life examples, her own and her students.
Pelletier earned a doctorate in anthropology in 2002 and a master of arts in anthropology in 2000 from Michigan State University, and a bachelor of university studies in social sciences at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. Her own uncertainty about attending graduate school provides good storytelling material and offers encouragement for her students.
Pelletier began her Morris career in 2002. “I came to UMM excited by the possibilities that this institution has to offer,” she states, “the freedom to develop courses I want to teach, the small class size, the opportunity to participate in academic advising, bright and motivated students, a faculty that prioritizes teaching while remaining committed to research, student involvement in research, a conscientious support staff, and the American Indian Tuition Waiver."
Pelletier teaches Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, North American Indian Ethnography, Native American Women, 20th Century NativeAmericans, and Medical Anthropology: An Overview, as well as supervises directed studies.
(From the 2008 news story)
