Karl Larson

The most important things in life are to be happy and content, and we seem to be our own worst enemies sometimes-----

I completed my Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation, Parks, and Leisure Services in 1989. My first full-time gig was traveling among 4 senior citizen high rise apartment buildings and providing recreational activities. Interestingly, they never really wanted to talk about activities...they wanted to talk about anything related to their health and well-being. It was my first exposure to how imporatant health was across the lifespan.

I decided to go back to college to get a Master's degree that would allow me to work in the college setting. There is something very much 'alive' about working with college students. I truly love it. I spent six years working in Student Affairs in a myriad of positions including coordination of an academic support program, TRIO program professional, director of orientation programs and probably a few more. I learned quickly that working in student affairs will burn you out...especially if you decide to do it right...and I needed a change, but I didn't want to leave academia.

In 2001 I completed my PhD. in Community Health Education at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. I spent 2 years in the public health sector and 4 years teaching at the University of Southern Indiana before coming to Gustavus in 2005.

When the Health Education major sunset at Gustavus in 2014, I was given the opportunity to create a new direction for students at Gustavus through a program in public health. It has been my main focus on campus ever since, and I am proud of the program's impact and student interest. In just its first five years, it became the most declared minor on campus and comtinues to be today.

Professionally, mentoring young professionals has been a central focus of my career. In 2004 I designed, and am now Executive Director of, the National Case Study Competition in Health Education®. In its 17 years, the competition has had over 500 student participants from all over the nation demonstrate their skills and creativity in solving public health challenges. I am proud to have been recognized in 2018 with the Karen Denard Goldman Award for mentoring from the Society for Public Health Education and in 2021 the Schaller Citation for leadership in Health Science from Eta Sigma Gamma (the national health education honorary society). Both remind me daily of the importance of working with young professionals and the profound impact faculty can have.

So, academically, I focus on human behavior. If you have class with me, I assure you we'll talk about why people make the choices they make. Scholarly, I have written all kinds of different things, from teaching ideas, to 5-year qualitative studies, to textbooks...if you really want to know, come ask me sometime and I'll tell you....

Courses Taught