'One of the hardest times on campus'

Tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001. Most who are old enough to recall that day remember exactly where they were when they received the news that the north tower of the World Trade Center had been struck by an airplane, followed by news of two successive strikes, on the south tower and the Pentagon, and the crash of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. Many UM-Dearborn community members were right on campus.

The day was supposed to be one of celebration at UM-Dearborn — there was a planned Welcome Week event at 11 a.m. at the university.

After the planes hit the towers at 8:46 a.m. and 9:03 a.m., respectively, then-Chancellor Daniel Little sent an email stating that the event’s focus would shift to reflection and sorrow regarding the day’s events. Televisions were set up to watch news coverage, and counseling team members were available to meet with students.

“Chancellor Emeritus Little and I both led in different capacities during one of the hardest times on campus,” said Urana (Gray) Pridemore, director of undergraduate enrollment management,  at the Daniel Little Building dedication event in June 2026. Pridemore was a UM-Dearborn senior and student government president in 2001. “On 9/11, there had to be a decision made to keep the campus open or to close. While making the decision, he reached out to me with his solution to stay open and consulted me on my thoughts and assistance, which showed not only his consideration for student input but also the ability to put the students' needs first.”

Michigan Journal reporters covered the event and learned of UM-Dearborn community members directly affected by the attacks. They published several articles about the campus experience in their Sept. 18, 2001, edition.

Thad Zajac, an opinion writer who graduated in 2005, wrote that his paramedic friend lived in New York City. A wall fell on her before the towers came down. She suffered broken bones and deep cuts, but survived.

Student Rich Qashat shared that his cousins were on the 83rd floor of the north tower of the World Trade Center. They survived. Qashat graduated in 2003 and lives in California.

John Thibault, a Class of 2000 graduate, was on the 61st floor of the south tower when the plane hit. He was injured, and colleagues helped him out of the building to safety. The Bank of America executive went on to earn his MBA from UM-Dearborn in 2009 and lives in Michigan.

Professor of Sociology Marilynn Rosenthal’s son Josh was on the 90th floor of the south tower. After he was missing for more than a week, the family was notified that Josh was among the 2,823 people killed in the attacks. Rosenthal switched her research focus to terrorism. She retired in 2003 and was working on a book about the Sept. 11 attacks when she died in 2007.

In the days that followed Sept. 11, the campus community came together to support one another. Greek organizations raised $4,000 — about $7,500 in today’s dollars — and relief goods, like bottled water, for the American Red Cross.

Faculty, staff and students also gathered on Sept. 13 to share community and find solace in a special town hall, “A Time for Reflection.”

At that event, Professor of Political Science Ron Stockton, who retired in 2020, said, “The images and details are even now hard to believe … let us remember a valuable rule: It is more important to focus on what you favor than on what you oppose.”

Chancellor Gabriella Scarlatta, then an assistant professor of French studies, said the ways the campus community supported one another in the days after the tragedy had a profound impact on her as a young faculty member. “Students came to campus to find refuge and solace during an incredibly tough time,” she recently told Reporter. “That sense of community stuck with me.”

Story by Sarah Tuxbury. UM-Dearborn archivist Hannah Zmuda provided research support for this article.