Dr. C.W. Sullivan III was recently awarded the Teacher/Scholar Award from the College of Arts and Sciences here at East Carolina University.  Dr. Sullivan was born in Tennessee but was reared in upstate New York.  He received his BA and MA from SUNY-Albany in 1966 and 1969, respectively.  Dr. Sullivan received his PhD from the University of Oregon in 1976 and has taught here at ECU from 1977 to the present.  He has been awarded numerous honors including the ECU Vice Chancellors Award for Excellence in Research (2001), the UNC Board of Governors Distinguished Professor for Teaching (1999-2000), and the American Folklore Society Centennial Award (1989).  Dr. Sullivan is a full professor at ECU and has full reassigned time for research from the department this semester.

TCR:  What is this award for and how were you chosen?

Sullivan:  This award was created by former Vice Chancellor Ringeisen about five years ago and was specifically established to reward those professors who integrate their research into their teaching.  I believe it is called the Teacher/Scholar Award because the teaching comes first and what we do with the scholarship comes second.  The department of English sent forward two nominees to the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Deena and myself.  We were allowed to send only twenty pages, including syllabi, recommendations, and such.  My recommendations came from two students: one, a graduate student in English and two, an undergraduate in Anthropology, both of whom I thought could speak on my behalf about how I integrate my scholarship with my teaching.  One of the things I want people to know is that I'm fourth in this department to win the award.  The first year it was offered Pat Bizzaro won, Gay Wilentz has won, and Jim Kirkland won it last year.

TCR:  What research are you doing that you are integrating with your teaching right now?

Sullivan:  I presented the award committee with two things, one of which came from my folklore teaching and research.  The impetus behind this research actually came from some of my students who told me they had relatives who still farmed tobacco the "old-timey way."  There is a lot of folklore about the use of tobacco as an herbal medicine, and when we discuss this in class, I'm able to bring in photos I've taken while doing research in the field.  I've also written an article on this subject which I can bring in and show my students.  They can in turn use this article as a model for their own papers.  The other class I used as an example when applying for this award was a class about Welsh and Irish Celtic myth.  I've gone to Wales and Ireland for research, and this allows me to bring my firsthand experiences to the classroom in the hope that it might spark some interest in my students.  In fact, I know it has on a few occasions, because over the past few years or so I've had at least three students sign up for study experiences in Ireland and Wales.

TCR:  What do you see as the relationship between scholarship and teaching?

Sullivan:  That's the easiest question in the world to answer.  It's doing the scholarship that keeps the subject matter alive.  I've been at ECU for 25 years now, and I've taught a folklore class at least once a year and sometimes several classes a term.  I still love teaching folklore, and one of the reasons for that is I continue researching the subject.  Folklore is a dynamic subject, constantly changing (which is probably true to some extent with all academic areas), and the fact that I am still doing research shows my continued interest in the material.   There was an administrator once at another school who told me that he loved to support people doing research because they came back enthusiastic and rejuvenated.  I think keeping that level of interest and enthusiasm is imperative in the classroom.  If the students sense a professor's enthusiasm, it is possible they will develop an interest in the subject matter and understand that what they're studying is more than something to fill three hours of humanities electives.

TCR:  What influenced you to pursue studies in the area of folklore?

Sullivan:  I entered into the field by the back door so to speak.  My MA was in Medieval studies, and while studying Medieval and Renaissance literature at the doctoral level, I became interested in Welsh Celtic mythology and legend.  While doing my doctoral work at the University of Oregon, I was fortunate to meet Professor Barre Toelken, an inspiring teacher and internationally known folklorist.  He opened me up to the whole range of folklore in courses and seminars I took from him.  I think I caught his enthusiasm, and in the years since we have become good friends.

TCR:  Is there anything you are currently working on?

Sullivan:  There is.  I published a book, Fenian Diary: Denis B. Cashman on board the Hougoumont, 1867-1868 (Wolfhound Press, Dublin, 2001), based on a diary that's here in the ECU archives.  It is the diary of a man who was arrested in 1867 for plotting to overthrow the British rule in Ireland.  He was transported to Australia, and the diary is of that shipboard voyage from London.  Reading that diary got me interested in the topic of convict diaries and the rhetoric of convict diaries.  I'm interested in the thoughts of the convict as he's writing and in his adjustment to such a tragic incident.  I'm getting ready to go to Australia to look at several diaries written in the period from 1797-1868.  I will look at them and see how they compare to my theory of the convict diary, which may eventually turn into another book.  This is totally opportunistic research because this is not technically within my fields, and it would have never happened had ECU not had Cashman's diary here in its archives.

TCR:  Is there anything else you would like to add?

Sullivan:  I think it's a good thing that the university recognizes teaching in formal ways. For all the books and articles we publish, and the papers we give at conferences, our rewal business is right here in the classroom.  As I said at the end of one of my philosophy of teaching papers, I got into the business to be a teacher in the classroom and that's still the best part of it.  I think it's really important for he university to recognize good teaching and I'm proud to have been selected to receive the Teacher/Scholar Award.