“Every student has a piñata inside them,” says Jerry O’Sullivan. That piñata O’Sullivan refers to is the untapped potential he sees in so many MATC students. As MATC’s West Allis Campus Office of Student Life coordinator, it’s his job to help students realize that hidden potential.In other words, one could say O’Sullivan whacks piñatas for a living. “When you empower students, they can do things they didn’t know they could do,” he said.
In a career spanning three decades, as a student and as an employee, O’Sullivan has shown an unwavering commitment to helping MATC’s diverse student population better their lives. It was through this work that O’Sullivan developed the personal credo to “never see a student as they are, but what they can be.”
O’Sullivan began as an MATC student in 1970, taking a five-credit course in zoology. It was then that O’Sullivan fell in love with the college, citing the respect and opportunities he was given as the reasons he continued to pursue his education here. He continued taking courses full-time and was also elected to the Downtown Milwaukee Campus’ Student Senate. In January 1972 he was elected Student Senate president.
O’Sullivan fondly remembers the once-in-a-lifetime experiences he had while serving on the Student Senate. He was instrumental in keeping tuition affordable for MATC’s students. He spent a week working for renowned journalist Walter Cronkite and also had the opportunity to work on the presidential campaign of George McGovern.
Seeing it as an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of his mentor, former MATC Student Life Coordinator Alidor Vanderport, O’Sullivan took a substantial pay cut from his previous job at Allis-Chalmers to become the West Allis Campus Coordinator of Student Life in 1979. At the time, O’Sullivan had three main goals for the West Allis Campus: to build a student parking lot, bring food service to the campus and establish a two-year Liberal Arts degree that students could complete entirely at the West Allis location. He was successful in implementing all three changes.
O’Sullivan has a special bond with the students he works with, including the West Allis Campus student organizations and the current Student Senate members. “I love my students and I call them ‘mine,'” he said. “They are trying to make it in this world and they deserve opportunity.”
Although O’Sullivan describes himself as being in the “twilight of my career” he does not show any signs of slowing down. He strongly believes all students should be able to attend college. To that end, he still advocates on behalf of students by fighting to keep tuition affordable.
Part of that fight includes making sure that Pell Grants will stay accessible for students who need them. If he had his way, he would like to see college students’ tuition return to zero for the first two years of their education.
O’Sullivan is grateful for the education and life experiences MATC has given him. “MATC’s been my life, says O’Sullivan. “[MATC] helped me to live the greatest life ever. I couldn’t love what I do more.
