Thomas J. Sullivan
Instructor of Geography
Office: Old Journalism Building 213
Office Phone: (406) 243-4810
Office Fax: (406) 243-4840
E-mail: thomas.sullivan@mso.umt.edu
Education:
Ph.D., Louisiana State University, 2009 (expected)
Geography
M.A., The University of Montana, 1995
Geography
B.A., Montana State University, 1987
Civil Engineering
Areas of Specialization:
Cultural Geography
Historical Geography
History of Geography
Qualitative Methods
Current Offerings 2009 - 2010:
Fall 2009:
GPHY 121 - Introduction to Human
Geography
GPHY 550 - Space and Place
Spring 2010:
GPHY 381 - Principles of Digital Cartography
GPHY 385 - Field Techniques
Professional Background Information:
Tom’s professional career began in structural engineering with an emphasis in the design and construction management of building structures in Montana as well as most of the western United States. In the final six years of his eighteen-year engineering career, Tom was one of the original founders, President and owner of Eclipse Engineering, a structural engineering firm originating in Missoula, with satellite offices in Marin County, California and Bend, Oregon. During this time, Tom earned his Master’s degree in geography, with an emphasis in cartography, at the University of Montana. Following graduation, Tom taught sporadically as an adjunct instructor in the department. In 2005, Tom retired from the engineering profession and began his doctoral education in cultural and historical geography at Louisiana State University. He is currently involved in research and writing of his dissertation focusing on Irish ancestry and ethnicity in the United States with a particular focus on people’s attachment to place through their involvement in various culture groups. His case study is the Irish language in the United States. Tom is also interested in the historical aspects of the American cultural landscape with a particular focus on western European ethnicity.
Outside of the academic world, Tom is involved with various other organizations. He is founder and past President of the Montana Gaelic Cultural Society (www.mgcsonline.com), a group that sponsors the Montana Irish Festival in Butte, numerous language immersion weekends, Irish dance, and Irish music sessions throughout the State of Montana. He is currently the language coordinator for the organization. And, he is also the coach of the University of Montana Triathlon Team who recently won the National Collegiate Triathlon Championship (www.usatriathlon.org) this past April in Reno, Nevada. The UM team is the only team, other than the University of Colorado, to win this competition--its second title in the past fifteen years.
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