Engineering school dean search nearing end

In roughly two weeks, Portland State’s Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science will have a new dean. Before that news is announced, candidates have been visiting campus over the last few weeks to meet with faculty students and faculty.

This past week, two of the four candidates, Debra Larson and Mark Law, visited the South Park Blocks. Here is a closer look at the two dean candidates.

Debra Larson
As Debra Larson vies with three other candidates for the position of dean of Portland State’s Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science, she has two attributes working in her favor: a kind but commanding presence and great intellect.

Larson, 52, currently works as the associate dean of Northern Arizona University’s College of Engineering, and has also been the chair for both the civil and environmental departments.

“I am in a college right now where the engineers are combined with a number of science departments,” Larson said. “I am really an engineer at heart, and PSU seems to be a very engineering-centric organization.”

“Also, Northern Arizona University has a great undergraduate program, but it would be wonderful to move into a program such as Portland State’s with great graduate-level opportunities.”

Larson, who said she is interested in growing undergraduate enrollment and cultivating a stronger community for students and staff, readily admits that much of her initial agenda will come from ideas and input presented by Portland State staff.

“The faculty and administrators here have identified what they would like,” Larson said. “They have a real interest in communicating to the state and the larger community about the great engineering program located here at PSU.”

Larson grew up in Upper Peninsula, Mich., and went to Michigan Technical University, where she received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in civil engineering. She then worked for several years before attending Arizona State University where she received her doctorate in 1994.

Oregon is not completely foreign to Larson. She lived in Eugene for a couple years in the early ’80s.

“I had been thinking about moving into a Dean’s position for some time, but I hadn’t been actively seeking it,” Larson said. “When this opportunity came about with the Oregon connection, it all came together and started to make some sense.”

When asked about her inspirations, Larson hesitated, but admitted being inspired by the astronauts and Apollo missions when she was a child.

Today, Larson said her own children inspire her. She has a 15-year-old son and a 21-year-old daughter who is in college.

In whatever spare time she has, Larson loves to garden, although she says it’s not the easiest thing to do in the climate of Flagstaff, Ariz. She also has two dogs, John and Tenor, that she enjoys walking, but at the moment Larson is most excited by the prospect of working here at Portland State.

“The reason why the PSU opportunity makes sense for me is that the people and the culture are something that I really understand,” Larson said. “I really like the kind of culture located here, and I feel that it’s a very comfortable and caring group of people.”

Mark Law
Already carrying himself like a college dean, Mark Law is a tall, intimidating but jovial, and supremely confident man. And considering what he is currently attempting to accomplish, that confidence might come in handy.

Law, 49, is one of four candidates to be the next dean of Portland State’s Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science.

“What I find most attractive about the PSU Masseh College,” Law said, “is it seems like it’s poised to have really great things happen.”

“There is a lot of potential at the school to take that next step. It seems like a very exciting opportunity to come here and really make a difference,” Law added.

Law’s experience is not anything to scoff at. His work as the Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Florida has prepared him for a position such as the one at PSU. With 45 faculty working under him, the department chair position is just below that of a college dean.

Law received his bachelor’s degree from Iowa State in 1981, his master’s from Stanford in 1982 and finally his doctorate from Stanford in 1988.

Law also has a short history with Portland. During a recent sabbatical here he grew to love the city.
“Portland is a great place to live,” Law said. “As soon as I heard that Portland State was pursuing me, I was immediately interested.”

Should Law become the next dean of Maseeh, his task list is well defined.

“Job No. 1 is to learn the institution better and meet with all of the faculty,” Law said. “I need to find out the goals and inspirations of the faculty and everyone involved, and off of those discussions set some goals for the campus.”

Law also commented on Portland State’s huge sustainability initiative, and being that engineering can play a huge role in sustainability, he anticipates active involvement in that area.

Outside of his busy schedule, Law finds time for a few other hobbies.

He plays in an old-time string band in which his wife also plays bass. He loves to cook, and, according to his wife, makes the best hot ‘n’ sour soup around.

When asked if he had anything he would like to express, Law was succinct.

“I think if you consider what is best for the students, you are probably doing what’s best for the department,” he said. “Thinking about student needs and student requirements and opportunities is usually the best way to go about it.”