Kurt Larsen
Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies, College of Engineering
As an assistant dean of undergraduate studies, Kurt Larsen advises approximately 180 first-year engineering students each year to help them acclimate to college, explore majors, and make the most of the opportunities CMU has to offer, both in and outside of the classroom. He also attends to a number of college-level responsibilities, including coordinating experiential learning courses and organizing and presenting orientation programming for incoming students. He leads the Undergraduate Advisors Committee, consisting of professional advisors representing all the undergraduate engineering departments. In the past, he played leadership roles in committees such as the university’s First-Year Advisors Group (founder), the College of Engineering Student Council (founder and advisor), C@CM Advisory Council (chair), College of Engineering Curriculum Review Committee (lead) and the Associate Dean’s Council (interim facilitator).
Larsen’s teaching experience includes co-creating and teaching a College of Engineering-specific version of 76-270, Writing for the Professions. In this course, he taught students foundational skills such as writing resumes and cover letters, research proposals, and presenting expert information to non-experts. He also created and facilitated 39-101, College of Engineering First-Year Seminar, which introduced new students to the college environment and introduced them to engineering fields. Most recently he taught 39-402, Leadership Development Seminar. This course is designed for engineering seniors and juniors committed to further developing their leadership skills and potential for sustained impact in the future.
He holds a master’s degree in professional writing from Carnegie Mellon University and bachelor’s degree in English literature (summa cum laude) from Slippery Rock University.