Mike Larkin

Mike Larkin serves as a Teaching Professor at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) within the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, holding joint appointments in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and the Humanities Program. His office is located in Columbine Hall (room 2043), and he teaches courses including HUM 3990: The Nobel Prize, blending geographical and humanistic perspectives.

His educational background features a Master of Arts from the University of Colorado - Boulder. Larkin's academic identity centers on Cultural and Historical Geography, with specialized focus on Greek cultural landscapes and the historical significance of places like Delphi—where he spent nine weeks during fall 2024. His teaching philosophy actively challenges traditional student-teacher dynamics by cultivating 'learners' rather than passive 'students' or transactional 'customers'.

As a dedicated educator without research obligations, Larkin channels all energy into pedagogical innovation and institutional advocacy. He champions faculty protections against administrative decisions harming UCCS while drawing on his unique 'nepo baby' heritage (his father taught Geography at UCCS since 1974) to create immersive, place-based learning experiences that connect classroom concepts to real-world cultural contexts.