Marquette University - Hilltop Yearbook (Milwaukee, WI)

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DIEDICATIQ IN 1914 four young men were the first recipients of Marquette bachelor degrees in journalism. One of them was Jeremiah L. O'Sullivan, who in later years was to return to Marquette as Dean of the college of journalism. Dean O'Su1livan was born in Hutchinson, Kansas. in 1894. He was educated at St. Benedict's college, Atchinson, Kansas, and Marquette University. After graduation he became a reporter and later city editor of the Milwaukee Sentinel. He left the Sentinel in 1916 and joined the United Press wire service. During his eight years with United Press, the Dean worked as division chief of its Kansas City and New York City bureaus. One of his functions during his days as division chief was to hire and train beginning journalists. It was through this ex- perience that the Dean developed a growing desire to teach. In 1924, he offered United Press a terse resignation: Hours too long. Wages too low. Life too short. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Marquette journalism faculty and in 1928 he was named Dean of the college. When Dean O'Sullivan took charge of Marquette's journalism college he began to implement his bywords as a professor: Truth, Competence, Compassion. With a booming voice and abundant good nature, the Dean introduced stu- dents to the principles of truth and to the skills which lead to competence. There was even a course in compassion. The Dean provided that important lesson by his own good example. Many former students, now eminent in the field of jour- nalism, can recall how they were helped through the diiiiculties of their under- graduate years by an encouraging word and a few dollars for book fees from the Dean's own pocket. In nearly four decades as an educator, Dean O'Sullivan has maintained his firm belief in the importance of journalism education to democratic society. We are not going to have a good press in this country without good schools of journalism, he has said, and if we don't have a good press, then society, as we know it, is going to end. The Catholic press has always been a special interest to the Dean. He has worked for its improvement, often pointing to its deficiencies. He has reached numerous Catholic students and educators through the Catholic School Press Association which he organized in 1931. He continues to direct its work from headquarters at Marquette. Dean O'Sullivan also organized the institute of the Catholic Press in 1948 as a research division of the college of journalism. In his 37 years of service to Marquette, Dean O'Sullivan has merited the acclaim of the Catholic and secular press alike. He has served as president of the International Union of Catholic journalists and of the American Association of Schools and Departments of journalism. He was selected to gather exhibits for the World Congress of the Catholic press at Vatican City in 1937 and in 1938 was awarded a Papal medal for his Catholic press work. A cursory survey of the accomplishments which merited these distinctions shows that Dean O'Sullivan has been alert in initiating and in adopting improved methods of journalism instruction. Thus, in this year marking the 50th anniversary of journalism instruction at Marquette, we respectfully dedicate the 1961 Hilltop to Jeremiah L. O'Sullivan, a dean of American journalism education, an inspiring example to his students, an apostle of the Catholic press, and a man of distinction within his profession.

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