Professor Emeritus Timothy “Tim” Little, died on August 8, 2023 at the age of 82.
Little joined the Department of Teacher Education in 1971 and remained at MSU until his retirement in 1996. Prior to his time with MSU, Little taught high school in Chicago and earned his Ph.D. from Northwestern University.
Throughout his career, Little specialized in social studies, which he taught both at a high school and with the College of Education. Little also had a unique emphasis in Law-Related Education (LRE) and co-wrote four textbooks with LRE chapters as major themes. Little served on several experimental teacher preparation teams with the College of Education, including Multiple Perspectives, Learning Community and Academic Learning.
The MSU Retirees Association wrote a profile on Little in their 2017 February-March newsletter. It stated, in part, “Little introduced a model Law Related Education course at MSU aiming to encourage teachers to incorporate lessons related to the law in their classrooms. This course featured guest lecturers ranging from judges to representatives of local civic organizations.” The profile also highlighted Little’s election as an Honorary Fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation after his retirement. This election was the result of “significant contributions to the work and mission of the Michigan State Bar Foundation.”
Mark Conley, who was on faculty from 1992-2008, recalled Little’s work with students stating that students “adored his sense of humor, irreverence but also his extensive knowledge of history and legal education.” Conley also said, “Little was responsible for many great social studies teachers coming out of MSU.”
Little was a faculty member of the Learning Community Elementary Teacher Education Program. Susan Florio-Ruane, College of Education professor emerita, described this program as “unique and forward-thinking, stressing the importance of educators’ fostering community and social justice as these are powerfully integrated with academic excellence in teaching and learning.”
Florio-Ruane spoke about Little and his contributions to this program as being “a key member of Learning Community program faculty, Little embodied the program’s stated values and brought so much more—kindness, wit, critical intelligence and tolerance.”