An educator known his work in American Indian anthropology has joined the Native American Studies program at West Virginia University.

Joe Candillo is currently teachingIntroduction to Native American Studies,which is one of three lower-division courses required to earn a minor in the discipline at WVU .

He is also developing upper-level courses that will explore American Indian traditions in depth. He earned a bachelors degree in anthropology from Appalachian State University and a masters in American Indian Studies at the University of Arizona.

Hes a member of the Pascua Yacqui Indian Tribe of Arizona, and that lineage, in addition to his academic work, brings a new dimension to the WVU program, its director Bonnie M. Brown said.

Joes a gifted instructor whos full of energy and good ideas,she said.As an American Indian, he also helps fulfill a key part of our programs mission: having students learn about Native people from Native people.

For the past several years, Candillo has traveled the country doing just thathaving giving cultural presentations to civic groups and at colleges and universities.

Im really excited to be at WVU and to be part of the growing momentum in the Native American Studies program,he said.