Northwestern’s excellent education starts in the classroom. Two Northwestern teachers have been honored as Iowa’s Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Jeff Barker, theatre
2006 Iowa Professor of the Year
Theatre professor Jeff Barker believes that if theatre artists are going to change the world, they need to start from the beginning—by writing scripts. That’s why he’s established a focus on playwriting that is unusual for a college our size. Barker invites students to be part of the process as he writes his own award-winning plays. He challenges, encourages and nurtures them as they bring their own stories to Northwestern’s stage. Read more …

Piet Koene, Spanish
2004 Iowa Professor of the Year
Students describe Spanish professor Piet Koene as generous, humble and tireless. He encourages his students to engage with our region’s growing Hispanic population as language teachers, tutors, youth leaders and friends. His students tag along while he sets an example for excellence and advocacy as one of only nine certified Spanish court interpreters for the state of Iowa. Read more …