Kesden Receives Celebration of Education Award

Each spring, the Carnegie Mellon University community gathers for its Celebration of Education Awards, which honor outstanding contributions in the areas of teaching, mentorship, service, and educational innovation. This year’s ceremony was held on Wednesday, April 15.

Gregory Kesden, associate teaching professor of electrical and computer engineering, received The William H. and Frances S. Ryan Award for Meritorious Teaching. This prestigious award is given annually to a full-time Carnegie Mellon University faculty member who has demonstrated unusual devotion and effectiveness in teaching undergraduate or graduate students.

In classrooms defined by rigor and complexity, Gregory Kesden has built an environment where students not only succeed, but come to believe in themselves.

For more than twenty-five years at Carnegie Mellon University, Kesden has shaped the educational experiences of thousands of students across electrical and computer engineering and computer science. His impact is best understood not in numbers, but in transformation. His guiding philosophy, “sell students to themselves,” captures his teaching approach that emphasizes confidence as much as competence, and the belief that education is an act of empowerment. Students routinely describe his courses as the most challenging of their academic careers, but also the most rewarding.

“I can say with the utmost confidence that Professor Kesden has been one of the most dedicated professors and mentors I have had the honor of working with here at Carnegie Mellon University,” wrote Lakshmi Adiga, a senior in electrical and computer engineering and previous student of Kesden’s.

His dedication spans beyond the classroom. Kesden has served as the head coach of Carnegie Mellon's internationally renowned programming team, the director of regional programming contests, the teaching assistant program coordinator for computer science, and the Director of Educational Computing for the School of Computer Science, to name a few.

Kesden has led efforts to modernize the curriculum, connecting foundational concepts to real-world applications and adapting quickly to new challenges, from remote learning during the pandemic to the evolving role of generative AI in education. He also invests deeply in mentoring teaching assistants, cultivating future educators who carry forward his emphasis on clarity, empathy, and student-centered teaching.

Known for his extraordinary accessibility, Kesden opens his schedule for one-on-one meetings and works closely with students facing academic or personal challenges. He has helped build targeted support systems that address not only coursework, but also confidence and well-being. Colleagues and students point to his willingness to go above and beyond, ensuring that no student is left behind.

For his students, the outcome is lasting. They leave not only with technical knowledge, but with confidence, resilience, and a belief in their own potential, an impact that endures long after the course is over.

His nominators state, “Professor Kesden exemplifies the spirit of this award through his sustained record of transformative teaching, pedagogical innovation, and deep mentorship that has shaped the educational experience of countless students in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University.”