By Jeneva Wright, ACUA Member and Vice Chair

ACUA’s recent 50th Anniversary prompted many discussions, both in acknowledgement and celebration of how far we have come, but also where we need to go next. With a forward look in mind, in 2024 we created a new committee charged with drafting ACUA’s first Strategic Plan. Over the following year, we gathered information, asked critical questions, and observed the challenges and themes tackled by our members. 

Many issues, questions, opportunities, and concerns came up, as well as frank conversations about organizational capacity—ACUA is entirely comprised of volunteers, all of whom support their ACUA activities while also juggling careers and projects within NGOs, universities, CRM firms, governmental programs and agencies, and other groups. This organizational structure enables the sharing of diverse perspectives and collaborative opportunities and is a major strength but also requires that ACUA goals and efforts be specific and reasonable. Additionally, ACUA’s fundraising efforts are almost entirely directed to support student and early career development, rather than providing seed funding for projects, grants, or fieldwork proposals, which meant that concepts for future organizational development needed to consider financial resources as well. Finally, we returned to closely examine the ACUA’s founding mission statement to make sure that all aspects of our strategy were in alignment with the overarching goals.

The ACUA Strategic Plans begins with an updated ACUA Vision Statement, which charts the desired direction of organizational efforts:

ACUA supports and guides the global community in the protection, understanding, and preservation of underwater cultural heritage (UCH), and advocates for groups, legislation, and resources that align with this principle. We champion diversity and accessibility, mentor the next generation of scholars, and broaden our influence through inclusive and multidisciplinary collaboration. We actively engage in all aspects of underwater archaeological research, practice, outreach, and management to promote ethics, inspire awareness, and foster connections and collaborations to support research and management efforts worldwide.

We also updated our Core Principles to underpin all organizational efforts: Ethical Practices; Respectful Engagement; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Advocacy; and Responsibility to Future Generations. These principles shaped and directed three current Focus Areas. The Focus Areas do not encompass the entirety of ACUA activities but rather are intended to highlight specific areas of effort.

Our first Focus Area is “Education and Mentorship”, which emphasizes ACUA’s dedication to providing educational resources, mentorship, and professional development opportunities for students and early career professionals. Specific goals include the expansion and strengthening of the ACUA Mentoring Program, increasing organizational support for ACUA Graduate Student Associate members, and launching new career development support functions.

Our next Focus Area is “Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives”, which aims to advance ACUA’s commitment to cross-culturalism within the field of underwater archaeology. Specific action areas include fostering increased member support and dissemination, with a goal to develop project proposals to expand initiatives within our members’ affiliated organizations.

Finally, we developed a specific Focus Area on “Legislative Advocacy”, aimed at advocating for responsible legislation, policies, and regulations that protect underwater cultural heritage, ensure the accountability of institutions, and promote the integration of UCH into national and international conservation and heritage protection frameworks. Within this area, we plan to actively monitor and respond to legislative changes and threats, track the status and efficacy and advocacy efforts, and increase engagement with groups both within and beyond historic preservation and UCH.

We feel that these areas chart a new path forward as ACUA enters its next 50 years of activity, but the final product is a living document, with scheduled reviews, revisions, and formal updates baked into its structure. As we move forward, our goals center on supporting our mission to advocate, promote, and provide advice on responsible public education and stewardship of underwater cultural heritage for present and future generations. We are excited about our next steps of implementation and are grateful for all ACUA members and partners.

Categorised in: