By On Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, Eric Sullivan, Carroll associate professor of mathematics, lost his nearly two-year-long battle with cancer. After almost 10 years teaching at Carroll, Sullivan’s loss is mourned by the students and the faculty.
“Dr. Sullivan was such a fun professor,” said Isaac Armstrong, a senior biology major from Great Falls. “He loved to teach and was always able to engage the class with his passion and enthusiasm for math. He was incredible at helping students learn and would do everything in his power to help us succeed. I am very grateful that I was able to have him as a professor.”
Sullivan’s reputation as a great educator and friend is remembered by all who were able to take one of his classes.
“I had Dr. Sullivan for statistics, and he was easily one of the best teachers I’ve had at Carroll,” said senior biology major Iris Hartwig of Lapwai, Idaho. “Not only was he always enthusiastic to teach, but he had a big smile that made students want to be around him.”
Dr. Sullivan’s relationship with his students transcended the classes that he taught.
“Something I will never forget is my photography class,” Hartwig continued. “I took pictures all semester to create a final photography project. The project featured my friends that also had Dr. Sullivan. He emailed me while he was on emergency leave and said my project featuring his students was a nice reminder of how awesome you guys are. He always put his students first, even when he was fighting for his life,’ Dr. Sullivan is an unforgettable person, and I am so blessed I had the privilege of being his student.”
Even for those who were unable to take part in one of Sullivan’s classes, he was one of the driving forces behind campus events such as the math debates which invited students to any evening of discussion surrounding mathematical theories applied in a fun and engaging way.
“Eric and I did a series of math debates,” said professor of mathematics Kelly Cline. “That was very fun because we wanted to make sure students saw math, not as just something that is cut and dry in a textbook that you learn to pass a test, but as something that people have opinions about. You can disagree and argue about it and debate about it. That doesn’t always come across in an ordinary math class.”
With a willingness to continually change and adapt his teaching, Sullivan is also remembered fondly by his colleagues for the example he was able to provide to his fellow educators.
“I learned a lot from him,” Cline said. One of the things he brought to Carroll was playing around with teaching itself and had the idea of getting students up during class by working on the whiteboards all around the walls. That’s remarkably powerful. He showed how if students work things out on the walls, then it’s not personal,” Cline continued.
“He wanted people to be collaborating with each other. Nobody falls asleep in that kind of class. That’s not boring, that’s interesting and engaging.”
On Sullivan’s biography page, he talked of his love for teaching.
“One of the things that I truly love about teaching at Carroll is that I get to teach a wide variety of math courses,” wrote Sullivan. “I have taught almost every course the math department offers, and I thoroughly enjoy them all! My teaching philosophy is that mathematics is not a spectator sport – every student is doing math from the beginning of class to the end.”
Sullivan’s relationship with his students, colleagues, and campus events was accompanied by great academic and professional successes.
“Dr. Sullivan was a treasured teacher, scholar, and colleague and accomplished much in his time at Carroll,” said Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Jennifer Glowienka. He was instrumental in the development of the data science program, he wrote and published a mathematics textbook, he championed the Student Undergraduate Research Festival (SURF), and he received the Carroll College Outstanding Teaching Award in May of 2022.”
On Jan. 22, Carroll College held a remembrance service for Sullivan.
“Eric loved talking to people,” said Jacob Dystart, a friend of Dr. Sullivan at the service. If he were on the trail and saw people, Eric would talk to that person and would talk about anything. One time, we were going up to Hart Lake, and we came across mountain lion hunters. We had a full conversation about their hunt and where they’d been.”
The stories of Dysart and others demonstrate that Sullivan lived a holistic life both in and outside of the classroom. Sullivan’s spirit of curiosity led him to visit numerous national parks and foreign countries.
Sullivan’s story leaves behind a valuable example for Carroll’s community. He exemplified Carroll’s motto, “not for school, but for life.” His continual pursuit of the joys of the natural world through his outdoor adventures is truly an example to all who grieve his passing. Sullivan captured the fullest beauty of life.
“It is hard to imagine a professor as dedicated to his students or as passionate for his field as Dr. Sullivan,” said senior biology major Daniel Hirshorn of West Harrison, New York.
“I had the pleasure of having him as a professor for Stats-315 during my sophomore year, and I have fond memories of him coming up with fun stories and examples to teach even the most difficult of concepts in a way that was attainable. Dr. Sullivan was legendary for his accessibility as well. Within minutes of emailing a question about homework or a lab, he would respond with a zoom link and talk through the problem at hand. Dr. Sullivan was a gift to this campus and will be deeply missed.”
Sullivan’s obituary encourages all to remember him in their own way, whether by enjoying the beauty of nature, family, and friends, or a complex math problem.
“His legacy is in everybody who had a class with him,” Cline said. “He had lots of students who had the great honor and privilege to get to be with him and learn something. His legacy is carried by every student he’s ever had.”
