Campus celebrates an updated space named for a long-time leader

June 22, 2026

The Daniel Little Building, named for UM-Dearborn’s longest-serving chancellor, is the College of Education, Health and Human Services’ new home. The university’s administrative offices have also returned to the building.

One of the first buildings on UM-Dearborn’s campus now features a renovated interior, updated name and renewed purpose. The Daniel Little Building, formerly the Administration Building, is the new home of the College of Education, Health and Human Services. The university’s administrative offices have also returned after temporarily relocating to the Social Sciences Building.

The UM-Dearborn community, past and present, celebrated this new chapter at a June 10 renaming celebration. The event began with remarks from university leaders in a tent near Chancellor’s Pond and a sign unveiling in front of the building. An open house in the new CEHHS space followed.

A gathering space for all

On a recent summer afternoon inside the DLB, CEHHS students happily chatted with friends in maize-and-blue-hued booths, with their books and papers spread out across a table between them. They heated up their food between classes in the small kitchenette and bought drinks from the vending machines. Others — including faculty members and staff — checked out new meeting rooms and the two renovated classrooms.

Students sit in large wing-backed chairs and at tables in a new lobby area. The space is open and modern, with a few new large television screens in the walls.

Two students walk down a hallway. They pass by booths with tables, where students sit, study and talk.

A photo of people sitting in booths with a table between them. There is also one person who is walking down a hallway that's on the side of the booths.

A teacher stands in the front of the room near a large television, which is off. The professor is talking with three students who are seated. Two are seated at a table and one is in a chair.

Several small tables and chairs are located in a room that is off of a kitchen. The kitchen area has brown cabinets, silver fridges and a silver microwave.

A lobby space consists of a blue couch, brown chairs and small round tables.

Professor of Science Education and CEHHS Interim Associate Dean Susan Everett moved to her new office in the DLB at the beginning of June. Since 2004, CEHHS had been located in Fairlane Center South, which is about a mile from the main campus.

When Everett started teaching at UM-Dearborn in Fall 2003, her first office was in a building right across from the DLB — now called the Computer and Information Science Building. And she’s excited about moving back. “You see so many people from the different colleges when you are on the main campus. I love it,” she said. “When I started here, I was able to eat my lunch near the Chancellor’s Pond. It’s so relaxing and you see students enjoying the view too. I’m looking forward to doing that again.”

Director of Facilities Planning and Construction Emily Hamilton said moving CEHHS to the west wing of the DLB is a key part of UM-Dearborn’s Comprehensive Campus Plan.

To inform the Comprehensive Campus Plan, the Facilities team surveyed the campus community about how they spent their time at the university and inquired about favorite spots. Nearly all CEHHS-affiliated respondents chose main campus locations like Mardigian Library, Renick University Center and the Environmental Interpretive Center. This new space gets CEHHS students, faculty and staff much closer to all those locations.

Hamilton said the facilities team collaborated closely with CEHHS faculty, staff and students to create designs that best serve their needs while also consolidating available space.

“We want to right-size our campus in a move toward fiscal sustainability and a more vibrant and densely-populated campus,” Hamilton said. “Less physical space is needed for the different college units and university officers because of hybrid and remote work schedules, a dramatic decrease in the need for paper file storage, and the use of shared reception, copy and kitchenette areas.”

With those guiding principles, UM-Dearborn’s administration offices — the Chancellor’s Office, Provost’s Office, Business Affairs, Research, External Relations, Institutional Advancement and Alumni Engagement, and Human Resources — now have a smaller campus footprint and are located in the east wing of the building.

The person behind the name

Daniel Little was UM-Dearborn’s fifth and longest-serving chancellor. During his 18-year tenure, from 2000 to 2018, he advanced the university’s role as a community-engaged campus, expanded academic offerings and championed accessibility and diversity.

“As a society we have often failed in providing educational opportunities to the full range of our society. All of us can be proud that UM-Dearborn has succeeded in providing and expanding opportunities for students from all segments of our region to develop their talents,” Little told the audience at the renaming celebration. “Even more importantly, we can be proud of the culture of inclusion, respect and civility we have developed on the campus that allows each of us to do our best learning, working and growing as citizens.”

Five people gather around a sign that reads: Daniel Little Building. They are clapping in celebration of the new building's name. — Chancellor Emeritus Daniel Little, second from right, stands near the sign that bears his name. Joining Little in celebration of the sign unveiling are, from far left, CEHHS Dean Ann Lampkin-Williams, Director of Enrollment Management Urana Pridemore, Chancellor Gabriella Scarlatta and U-M President Domenico Grasso.

During Little’s tenure, the university saw the enrollment of African American students increase 27% and of Latino students rise 164%. To help advance knowledge for public good, his years at the helm also saw a 116% increase in research dollars.

Little has many achievements, including a doctorate from Harvard, 12 published books and more than 50 journal articles and book chapters. He’s also a mentor. CEHHS Dean Ann Lampkin-Williams said Little aims to make the world a more socially just place. Lampkin-Williams spoke with conviction about the chancellor emeritus’ impact on her life during the renaming event.

Lampkin-Williams, who joined the UM-Dearborn community when Chancellor Little led the university, describes Little’s authentic leadership style as supportive and transformative to her personal and professional life. She values Little’s commitment to educational access and opportunity for all people.

“Words cannot express the pride that comes with knowing that the new home of the College of Education, Health and Human Services bears your name,” she said at a speech during the naming event. “Through their work, CEHHS faculty and team members step up and live out your love for this campus, each and every day.”

A photo of a man in a suit standing in front of a sign that reads, "Daniel Little Building"

Three university leaders gather near glass exterior doors. Through the doors, you can see the green leaves from the bushes and trees.

A large seated crowd sits under a large festival-style tent. They are listening to an older man speak at the podium.

A woman stands behind a podium and speaks to a laughing crowd.

Three people sit at a table that is set with plates and clear water glasses. In the background, there is a large screen that reads, "Daniel Little Building Celebration."

Chancellor Gabriella Scarlatta, U-M President Domenico Grasso, Director of Enrollment Management Urana Pridemore and Little also gave remarks. Pridemore was an undergraduate student at UM-Dearborn when Little began his tenure in 2000. She recalled that Little reached out to her on Sept. 11, 2001. At the time, she was serving as student government president. When most places closed, Little considered keeping the campus open to provide students — especially Arab American and Middle Eastern students — a safe and familiar place to gather, and he sought Pridemore’s input. “He really cared about what students were going to do that day,” she said. “It was a very difficult day and he led in such a great way.” The campus stayed open.

In a brief interview before the June 10 event, Little, an Illinois native, said he was attracted to the leadership position at UM-Dearborn because he liked the welcoming, diverse environment and the civic-minded direction of the university. It also reminded him of home. Just as Ford Motor Company is a staple in Dearborn, Little’s hometown of Peoria was home to Caterpillar Inc. — his first job was in a Caterpillar tractor factory.

Little spent more than half of his career with the university. He said he’d had many meaningful experiences during his tenure at UM-Dearborn — and the university has added to that through the acknowledgment of his leadership in such a visible, tangible way.

“This has been the pinnacle of my career,” he told the audience at the event. “I would need a Ken Burns to collect the thousands of memories I have — the little snapshots that would be what UM-Dearborn was for me during those many years. I would like to thank all of you for making another scene in that documentary.”

Story by Sarah Tuxbury. Photos by Matthew Stephens and Neuman Smith.