Mercy's Donald Little Remembered As Energetic and Youthful Professor
Falon Perez
Issue date: 5/5/07 Section: News
Teachers are students' guides into the real world. They give them the skills to succeed in their chosen fields. Unfortunately last month, Mercy lost one of its proudest possessions.
Prof. Donald Little was 60 years old when he passed away on Sunday, March 11 from a heart attack while he was attending a dog sledding event in Alaska.
Little was an assistant professor for the Mathematics and Computer Informational Science Department. He earned his MBA and his BS from Adelphi University. Before coming to Mercy College, he was Director of Information Technology at a legal firm. But he had aspirations of teaching, so he left his job to join Mercy College.
Little was far from the ordinary professor, though. Not only did he have 15 certifications in Information Security, but he also had certification in sailing, rollerblading, and skiing. Some of his students referred to him as "young at heart," which is why his students related to him so well. Most spoke about how he would stay after class, regardless of the time, to help his students with whatever they needed.
"Professor Little was a really cool professor-more like a friend than a teacher. Classes were fun and we looked forward to them. I was shocked and upset. It is such a loss to Mercy," says Jennifer Yudman, junior, Media Studies major.
Little loved teaching and took everything as a challenge, which is why he was such a successful professor, said Dr. Najaraj Rao, Division Chair of Mathematics. He added that Little cared about his students, and wanted to help them gain the skills needed to succeed in the real world.
"He was also very active in the school, more than anyone would realize. He made sure he updated his curriculum to help his students with their careers," said Rao.
Little was indeed an active member in the college. He was the chair of the Academic Computing Committee, and was a member of several other committees. He was also attending classes at Pace University for his doctoral degree; he told many colleagues that attaining his doctorate was his next goal in life. He would have completed his doctoral work in May.
Anyone who knew Little often recall how often he spoke of his love for his dogs, Meg and Terror-since he often referred to them as his children. He is remembered by his friends, family, and girlfriend of 11 years, Doris Surovy.
"He was an extremely friendly professor. He was open to suggestions, and was able to advise students like myself. He will be missed," said Naran Jullim, sophomore, Mathematics major.
Professor Donald Little was an exceptional teacher who cared whether his students passed or failed. He was willing to stay after school to help them with their work, or just to talk. He was not a typical teacher that would just come to school for the paycheck; he genuinely cared that his students would make it in the real world. He was a great asset to the college, and he will be greatly missed.
Prof. Donald Little was 60 years old when he passed away on Sunday, March 11 from a heart attack while he was attending a dog sledding event in Alaska.
Little was an assistant professor for the Mathematics and Computer Informational Science Department. He earned his MBA and his BS from Adelphi University. Before coming to Mercy College, he was Director of Information Technology at a legal firm. But he had aspirations of teaching, so he left his job to join Mercy College.
Little was far from the ordinary professor, though. Not only did he have 15 certifications in Information Security, but he also had certification in sailing, rollerblading, and skiing. Some of his students referred to him as "young at heart," which is why his students related to him so well. Most spoke about how he would stay after class, regardless of the time, to help his students with whatever they needed.
"Professor Little was a really cool professor-more like a friend than a teacher. Classes were fun and we looked forward to them. I was shocked and upset. It is such a loss to Mercy," says Jennifer Yudman, junior, Media Studies major.
Little loved teaching and took everything as a challenge, which is why he was such a successful professor, said Dr. Najaraj Rao, Division Chair of Mathematics. He added that Little cared about his students, and wanted to help them gain the skills needed to succeed in the real world.
"He was also very active in the school, more than anyone would realize. He made sure he updated his curriculum to help his students with their careers," said Rao.
Little was indeed an active member in the college. He was the chair of the Academic Computing Committee, and was a member of several other committees. He was also attending classes at Pace University for his doctoral degree; he told many colleagues that attaining his doctorate was his next goal in life. He would have completed his doctoral work in May.
Anyone who knew Little often recall how often he spoke of his love for his dogs, Meg and Terror-since he often referred to them as his children. He is remembered by his friends, family, and girlfriend of 11 years, Doris Surovy.
"He was an extremely friendly professor. He was open to suggestions, and was able to advise students like myself. He will be missed," said Naran Jullim, sophomore, Mathematics major.
Professor Donald Little was an exceptional teacher who cared whether his students passed or failed. He was willing to stay after school to help them with their work, or just to talk. He was not a typical teacher that would just come to school for the paycheck; he genuinely cared that his students would make it in the real world. He was a great asset to the college, and he will be greatly missed.
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