Joe Sullivan    

Hometown: Haddonfield, NJ

Degrees:

BS, German, United States Military Academy, 1985

MA, German Studies, University of Texas (Austin), 1992

PhD, German Studies, University of Texas (Austin), 1999

Sports allegiances:I want to become an Astros fan.

Favorite Galveston spots: East Beach in the early morning and at twilight and the old historic neighborhoods on the East End and in Midtown.

Why did you become an academic coach: I’ve personally been in the shoes of students facing challenges at the beginning of their academic careers but ended up doing well and loving learning. My role here is a chance to give back and help students succeed in college and fall in love with their studies.

What is your favorite thing about the TAMUG experience? The mixture of academic disciplines here and the focus on all things having to do with the sea is truly unique among campuses in the USA. I also love the small size and friendliness of the community here and just find fantastic the view of the harbor with its ships as I drive into work every day.

What is your best advice for incoming students? Enjoy this opportunity to get to know people from all sorts of backgrounds and who have different ways of looking at the world. It will make your own world bigger and more exciting. And remember to ask for help when you need it. It will not only make you feel better but is also a way of making the people you ask for assistance feel valuable and appreciated.

What do you do when you’re not advising/coaching/working? I just love to get out and explore Galveston’s beaches and neighborhoods on foot, work on our old Galveston beach house, travel, read books and learn to read new languages, and hang out with my wife and our two dogs.

What else should students know about you? Before coming to Galveston, I was a professor of modern languages for 25 years at the University of Oklahoma, where my research specialty was as a medievalist concentrating on the legend of King Arthur.