TU Today

It is with profound sadness that the College of Business and Economics announces that Dr. Timothy Sullivan, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Economics, passed away peacefully in his sleep over the weekend. Our hearts break for Dr. Sullivan’s wife and family, the Department of Economics, all faculty and staff in the College of Business and Economics (CBE) and the wider academic community, and for the future students who will no longer get to experience the empathy, wisdom, and true caring he brought to the classroom.

Dr. Sullivan was a valued member of the TU community for over 30 years, joining what was then Towson State University in 1989. He earned a B.A. in Economics from Eastern Illinois University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Throughout the years, he taught virtually every class offered by the Department of Economics, but his scholarly passion and primary area of expertise was in the field of economic history. The Towson Seminar course on Innovation Through the Ages that he developed and regularly taught was always one of the first to fill. Dr. Sullivan was a caring and dedicated teacher, encouraging his students to question, and challenging them to think critically. He was a supportive leader of his department, and a valuable colleague to everyone across campus. His written work was extensive, appearing in The Encyclopedia of World Poverty, The Encyclopedia of Chicago History, The Encyclopedia of Capitalism, American National Biography, A Reader’s Guide to American History, and others. In addition, he published more than one hundred book reviews in outlets including Choice, Business Library Review, and Journal of Economic History.

Over the course of his career at TU, Dr. Sullivan took on a variety of important service leadership roles. He served as chair of the Department of Economics from 2007 to 2013, stepping up again in 2021. He was the longest serving chair of the University Senate in TU history, a member of the TU Board of Visitors, and a past President and Treasurer of the TU AAUP. He served on a variety of other University committees including the Provost’s Taskforce for Academic Policies, the Board of Regents Nomination Committee, the TU Honorary Degree Review Committee, the COVID re-entry taskforce, and the President’s Climate Commitment Committee. Dr. Sullivan was awarded the CBE Excellence in Teaching Award in 1995, the CBE Award for Service Leadership in 2015. In 2013, Dr. Sullivan was awarded the TU Distinguished Faculty Service Award. 

The impact Dr. Sullivan created through his teaching, scholarship, and service, and the number of lives he touched throughout his academic career are incalculable. He will be greatly, greatly missed.

A celebration of life service for Tim will be planned in October. We will notify you accordingly.