Neff Hall, the current home of Wichita State’s anthropology department, is home to some of the oldest and most valuable relics on campus. From Asmat tribal art to animal bones, the building has served not only as the university’s anthropological hub, but as an invaluable storage space for an assortment of artifacts collected over decades.

But Neff Hall is now in its last years, and the future home of these artifacts is uncertain. The Kansas Board of Regents recently approved the demolition of the building, which is slated for 2027.

As a result of the planned demolition, the anthropology department is expected to merge spaces with the geology department, causing both to plan for changes.

While discussions about the demolition of Neff have been ongoing for at least three years, according to William Parcell, chair of the geology department, many details have yet to be decided. While the departments didn’t have a choice about the move, Parcell said they’ve been involved in planning their new space and meeting with architects hired by the university. 

Some anthropology faculty and students said they feel sad, frustrated, and uncertain, but the change may also bring opportunities for collaboration between the two departments and more exposure for the Holmes Museum of Anthropology. 

Issues with Neff Hall and deferred maintenance 

Crystal Dozier, acting chair of Wichita State’s anthropology department, said she understands the need for change; Neff Hall has been in use for more than 70 years, and its condition has deteriorated over that time. 

“I think I have never had too high of an emotional connection to Neff Hall because I’m seeing it at the end of its days, and there’s a recognition that this building is (just) a building, and it has issues,” she said. “What’s more important is keeping our anthropology community supported and finding a space where our people and our materials are best supported.” 

The issues with the building, Dozier said, include problems with temperature regulation and concerns about water seepage and mold. They affect not only the people in the building but also the many artifacts it houses. 

“They really need to be in a controlled humidity environment, and this building can no longer do that,” Dozier said.

Hans Schrader, an anthropology graduate student, said while he understands the building may not be able to serve the department anymore, he said it’s sad that the hall he’s spent years studying in will be no more. 

“The anthropology department isn’t funded very well, which I sort of understand because we’re not the money makers for the university,” Schrader said. “But I do think this could have been prevented if preventative maintenance would have been done.”

Deferred maintenance has been an ongoing concern for the state’s public universities for at least two decades, since the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) studied the issue in 2002. 

“KBOR told the universities they can’t hold as much deferred maintenance, and so in order to get rid of that — basically they’re going to be fined, I guess, if they keep buildings that need to be maintained,”Parcell said. “So they’ve decided it’s more cost-effective to destroy buildings, tear them down and squeeze the departments into other buildings.”

Moving and renovations

Dozier acknowledged that the upcoming move is making some in the department uneasy.

“Change is scary, and we will probably be downsizing a little bit, and that’s never a fun reality,” she said. “Archaeology doesn’t work unless you have the artifact, and the museum doesn’t work unless you have the artifacts, and students need this physical space as well in order to do their studies … so I think that’s where the apprehension comes in, that fear that we’ll lose some of the space that … we’ve been really using.”

Neff houses many artifacts, from soil and rock samples to art and other objects from cultures around the world. Although the building’s current state may endanger these artifacts, there is also a challenge in terms of moving them into the new locations. Some anthropology students said that while they will graduate before the move, they feel for the faculty and future students who will tackle this challenge. 

“The whole idea of moving things is…” graduate assistant Georgia Zavala said, trailing off with a grimace. 

The change also presents challenges for the geology department, which will share its current building with anthropology, according to the university’s current plans. 

The Geology Building is expected to undergo renovations before the move. Parcell said the exact details have not been determined, but will likely include a new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system; changes to the layout of some classrooms; and the addition of a sprinkler system. 

To prepare for the renovations, Parcell said the geology department expects to vacate the building temporarily in the summer of 2026, including moving all of its own materials out. 

Parcell said the move might come at the expense of space for the department, but he anticipates enough for students and faculty.

“We’re going to lose our library,” he said. “That’s going to be lost, but we may coordinate that by moving collections that we need to keep into each of the faculty offices, so we don’t have a dedicated library.”

Holmes Museum of Anthropology

The Lowell D. Holmes Museum of Anthropology is not expected to be housed with the rest of the anthropology department, as it currently is. Its future is uncertain, but Dozier said one option that’s been presented is moving the museum into Ablah Library. 

“Dean (of University Libraries Brent) Mai has some big ideas for transforming the space and these ideas, I think, are really exciting,” Dozier said. “Having the museum in a more centralized location would allow more students to access it, and that is something that I think would be really great.”

Schrader, who works in the museum, said being in the library would mean more exposure to the campus community.

“We don’t get a lot of people (visitors) in here,” he said. “I mean, we get a couple a week but a lot of people go to the library all the time.”

Dozier said funding the museum’s move may be a challenge, but it could be an opportunity for alumni to help out.

Schrader, meanwhile, said he’s working on a grant proposal to help with the cost. 

“(It would be) just as kind of a ‘thank you’ to the director of the museum (Rachelle Meinecke) because this program has done a lot for me, and I mainly just don’t want to see the program slip away. I want the anthropology department to continue, and I want the museum studies program to continue and that’s really important to me as a soon-to-be grad.”

Regardless, Schrader said that whatever happens to Neff Hall and the museum, he’ll make a point to come back and see the changes.

“It’d be interesting to come back in a few years and see what happened because I’ll be — who knows where I’ll be?” he said.