A leading archaeologist turned university president has died.

Thomas Pleger was born on 24 April 1969. After a first degree majoring in political science at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (1991), which included a semester in Scotland, he switched to anthropology and archaeology.

He secured a master¡¯s from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1993) and followed up with a PhD (1998) on the copper-using cultures of the areas around the Great Lakes. He had already worked as a research assistant at the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center and as an instructor in the department of sociology/archaeology, both at Wisconsin-La Crosse (1994-98), and he went on to spend most of his academic career within the same state system.

Appointed senior lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley (1998-2000), Dr Pleger was soon promoted to assistant professor (2000-05) and then became associate professor for all the University of Wisconsin Colleges, the two-year institutions in the Wisconsin system. He also published, with Alice Beck Kehoe, Archaeology: A Concise Introduction (2007). In parallel with his work in archaeology and anthropology, however, he gradually moved into more administrative roles: associate campus dean at Wisconsin-Fox Valley (2001-06) and then campus executive officer and dean at the University of Wisconsin-Baraboo/Sauk County (2006-14). Here he oversaw record levels of enrolment and developed a master plan to assess faculty needs and areas for improvement over the next 20 years.

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In 2014, after more than two decades in Wisconsin, Dr Pleger became the eighth president of Lake Superior State University in Michigan. He introduced a one-rate tuition fee plan, which offered a single rate to students from across North America, a move that?has been adopted by many other US public universities, and he often spoke out about higher education as a public good. He served on the 21st Century Economy Commission set up by state governor Rick Snyder and secured capital funding for a planned Center for Freshwater Research and Education.

Jim Curran, chair of the board of trustees at LSSU, praised Dr Pleger for his ¡°appreciation and understanding of the human condition, of the arts, and of global awareness. Tom knew that the value of a higher education is much more than gaining credentials and potential earning power. It is a catalyst for empowering those around you to find opportunity and a pathway to a rich and fulfilling life. He embodied those values, and his life stands as a testament to the example he set.¡±

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Dr Pleger died while undergoing brain surgery on 7 May and he is survived by his wife Teresa.

matthew.reisz@timeshighereducation.com