8/26/2010
In recognition of his many years of service to the College of Engineering, a new student award has been created in honor of Carl S. Larson, long-time professor, assistant dean, and Illinois alumnus. The College of Engineering will give a student award annually to an outstanding transfer student, in recognition of Dean Larson’s contributions to the college and to the university.
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In recognition of his many years of service to the College of Engineering, a new student award has been created in honor of Carl S. Larson, long-time professor, assistant dean, and Illinois alumnus. The College of Engineering will give a student award annually to an outstanding transfer student, in recognition of Dean Larson’s contributions to the college and to the university.
The establishment of the C.S. Larson Transfer Student Award was announced at the 2010 Knight of St. Patrick Ball held during Engineering Open House in March 2010. The announcement coincided with the 60th anniversary of the Illinois Knights of St. Patrick, the engineering honorary society. Generations of Knights know Dean Larson as “St. Pat,” who, for more than 20 years, introduced each new class of Knights in the College of Engineering each spring.
News about the establishment of the award was a total surprise to Dean Larson, made especially memorable as part of the annual event.
“Teaching and advising students has always been very satisfying to me, and I was deeply honored by the students who established this fund,” Larson remarked.
“Thinking back, I’ve probably worked with more than 3,000 students on our campus. I’ve been blessed to have this opportunity, and, with the help of our alumni, I know we can help many more students to realize their goals of earning degrees from Engineering at Illinois.”
An Illinois alumnus himself, Larson (BS 1956, MS 1958, PhD 1965, Mechanical Engineering) began teaching in 1956 as a graduate assistant and then as an instructor while pursuing his graduate studies. He entered the professorial ranks of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering in 1965 and taught classes in the design area continuously for a total 37 years.
In 1974 Larson was named assistant dean in the College of Engineering and served in this position while continuing to teach until 1993, when he retired from the department. From 1993 until 2005, he continued to serve as assistant dean when he retired from the college. Larson returned as assistant dean in 2007 to give added emphasis to the college’s off-campus transfer program and to take responsibility for the newly started Parkland Pathway Program. He recently completed his efforts in this regard.
Among his numerous roles in the college, Dean Larson served as the primary point of contact for engineering transfer students, and, even today in retirement, continues to work with transfer students and the programs that support them. Noting that he had been a transfer student himself, he took a special interest in helping other transfer students acclimate and excel in the College of Engineering.
Additional gifts are being accepted in support of the award recognizing Dean Larson and the Knights of St. Pat. Donors can use the college’s secure website to make a gift (indicate C.S. Larson Transfer Student Award Fund under “Other”), or contact the College of Engineering Office of Advancement.
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Contact: Jonathan Hill, director of advancement, Office of Advancement, College of Engineering, 217/265-6567.
If you have any questions about the College of Engineering, or other story ideas, contact Rick Kubetz, Engineering Communications Office, 217/244-7716, writer/editor.