After a 36-year career that took him from commanding a nuclear missile battery in Alaska to responding to environmental emergencies and overseeing mining operations across Missouri, Larry Coen was ready for his next chapter.
Teaching had been on his mind.
His path to the Columbia College classroom began in 2010, when he was looking for his next act following his retirement as Director of Mining for the State of Missouri.
“I think the best kind of retirement is giving back to future leaders all that’s been given me in the past,” said Coen, who teaches Natural Sciences courses. “I want to make a difference in the leaders of tomorrow.”
Coen built his career at the intersection of science, public safety and government service. After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Geology from the Missouri School of Mines, now Missouri University of Science & Technology, he served four years as a nuclear missile battery officer in Alaska, where he was responsible for 18 nuclear missiles and a unit of approximately 145 soldiers.
He later worked as a mine geologist in Pennsylvania, gaining firsthand experience in the complex safety challenges of surface and underground coal mining.
After returning to Missouri, he joined the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, first working to clean up abandoned mine sites before joining the agency’s environmental emergency response team, where he responded to chemical spills and other environmental emergencies throughout the state.
In 1998, Coen was appointed Director of Mining for Missouri. He oversaw the regulation of approximately 1,000 active mine sites and all mining operations, involving resources such as limestone, coal, sandstone, clay, marble, iron and silver.
His combination of scientific knowledge, field experience, emergency response and public-sector leadership became the foundation for the perspective he brings to Columbia College students.
“I believe my career experience is the backbone of how I teach my classes,” Coen said.
Columbia College’s practice of bringing career professionals into the classroom creates a valuable learning experience for students, Coen said. Knowing the subject matter is important, but practical experience offers something textbooks cannot.
“In the real world of industry, nothing ever works the way the textbook said it should,” he said. “Just knowing that things are always going to take a left turn in your career helps students be more prepared to succeed.”
That preparation is what he takes the most pride in as an instructor.
“I take pride in the fact that I can help students be prepared for the real world,” he said. “When students ask questions, I can answer from my own experiences.”
