Favorite Profs
After four years of classes at Northwestern, students graduate with memories of dorm pranks, service projects, first dates, athletic successes, late-night discussions—and professors who made a difference in their lives.
Who was your favorite prof? We asked that question of our readers, and these are some of your responses.
Toward the end of my freshman year, I began to talk with a sociology professor about wanting to become a counselor. Through that conversation, Dr. Scott Monsma convinced me to become a sociology major. To this day I’m not sure how that happened or even why I thought sociology would be a good major to prepare me for a master’s degree in counseling.
I didn’t know it at the time, but that proved to be pivotal in my approach to education. Upon changing my major, I also changed academic advisers. This became one of the best things that could have happened to me, as my new adviser—the same man who encouraged me to major in sociology— taught me to learn for the intrinsic value of learning.
I came to college to jump through the necessary hoops so I could get a degree and get a good job. I remember telling people it was ridiculous we had to take all the “extra” classes to graduate. Until I met Dr. Monsma, my definition of learning was simple: memorize data and then regurgitate it on a test or paper so I could tell the professors what they wanted to hear and get a good grade.
In my first Monsma class, he threw the idea of regurgitating information out the window and challenged me to learn for the simple value of bettering myself so I could give back to the world around me. His approach to learning was really based on the idea that students needed to develop holistically in order to reach their full potential academically. In many ways he set the foundation for my beginning to understand the importance of self-authorship.
My love for learning was very much developed by Dr. Monsma. For that, I will forever be thankful.
Josh Perkins ’04
Canton, Ohio
There is no doubt in my mind that Dr. Ron Juffer is a favorite among many alumni. He knew my name, where I was from, my hobbies and more even before I completed my first week in his class my freshman year. I always looked forward to seeing him in the RSC or the halls of VPH because he made sure to say hi and ask how volleyball practice was, or if I’d been back to Lincoln. He knew specific information about me—I don’t know how he remembered that about all of his students. You could just tell he loved what he did.
Rachael (Martin ’05) Becker
Austin, Texas
Dr. Adrienne Forgette taught me research methods and more. She had such high standards for us, and she prepared me so well for graduate school. I remember she made us homemade cookies to help us get through our final exam.
Mark Vellinga taught me computer programming, but more importantly, I learned lessons about being a good teacher. He challenged us, encouraged us and understood that we were individuals. Perhaps most importantly, he showed faith in our abilities.
A younger student needed help but was too nervous to talk to her professors, so he taught me what he wanted her to know and then I tutored her. He went above and beyond to see that his students got the help they needed! I teach college courses myself now, and he is one of the teachers I try to emulate.
Laura (Whitwer ’00) Hilkemann
Firth, Neb.
John Vonder Bruegge turned class into an adventure. While his Greek course demanded more work than my other three classes combined, his class was much more fun.
We spent hours in study groups trying to prepare ourselves for any curveball he might throw on the next test—and we loved it. Our efforts were well-rewarded.
I miss Greek. But more than that, I miss Prof. V., the grand orchestrator. He was a classy, professional, fun, caring, engaging professor.
Ben Kester ’09
Chicago
Dr. Lyle Vander Werff was a wonderful man. His passion for missions and for following God’s leading was always evident. Besides being our religion prof, he was special to us in another way. We went to him for premarital counseling, and he performed our wedding ceremony during a snowstorm. We will always remember him as a great guy!
Laura (Kreun ’70) and the Rev. Terry Muller ’70
Parma, Ohio
Dr. Laurie Furlong was an amazing instructor who always found ways to get her students engaged in her courses. I will never forget taking Invertebrate Zoology and Water Ecology with her. These courses didn’t require us to stay in the classroom every time we met, which made class exciting. We actually got an opportunity to do field work!
In the past few months I have learned how important her classes are to me, as I’m not as clueless when I take our pets to the vet! Dr. Furlong made class challenging, but we could always count on her knowledge and life experiences to guide us along the way.
Gretchen (Black ’03) Engelmeyer
Lee’s Summit, Mo.
Dr. Mike Kugler was amazing, eclectic, and made me think beyond what I knew. He connected with students well and cared deeply about helping us grasp how wide and deep our world is.
Dr. Ray Weiss’s freshman biblical studies class was extremely hard for me. He only accepted the best. I didn’t like it then, but now I understand the same academic rigor can be applied to my walk with Christ.
Jason Sniff ’99
Bloomington, Ill.
Hands down the best math teacher we ever had was Ralph Mouw! He was very knowledgeable, a great instructor who cared for his students and Northwestern. You could tell he was in it to help students progress and for Northwestern to receive the credit. He was a truly humble servant.
Nellie (Fikse ’66) and Dennis Harmelink ’65
Olathe, Kan.
Dr. Thomas Holm will always be a favorite part of my experience at Northwestern. He is one of the most caring, gentle and tenderhearted professors on campus.
He invites the choir to stop by his backyard and jump on their family’s trampoline. In my fourth year at NWC, he and his wife hosted a dinner at their house for all the married choir students and their spouses.
He was an encourager to the choir. I have a memory of him being totally speechless after we finished a song. When he recovered, he described how our singing filled his heart with joy.
After I got married, he continued to show interest in my life and what my husband and I planned to do with our future. He encouraged us to listen to God’s calling in our life and to support each other in love.
Dr. Holm also is the goofiest, most hilarious professor I ever encountered. He can get pretty intense during a game of four square. And when the choir made some dance moves using his unique, passionate directing style, he would dance those moves right along with us!
He also used funny metaphors like “It’s as if you’re holding a baby chicken, and if you drop it, it will die” to help us visualize how he wanted us to sing.
His gentle spirit and outrageously funny characteristics make Dr. Holm absolutely unforgettable for me. I was so blessed to have him as a professor.
Bethany (Landegent ’09) Norine
Blair, Neb.
I didn’t fully appreciate Dr. Monsma until after I graduated. I thanked him several times for interesting discussions after class, but it wasn’t until I had left the NWC community that I began to see how lessons learned in his classroom would become valuable for my everyday life.
His courses, especially Cultural Anthropology, deal with the beauty and complexity of social interactions. As someone who lives and works in a cross-cultural environment, not a day goes by that I don’t thank God for being able to live and work here—and not a day goes by that I’m not grateful to Professor Monsma for being able to live and work here well.
Kadie Becker ’08
Lupeni, Romania
I have fond memories of Dr. Lyle Vander Werff and how he blessed me as a student my junior and senior years at NWC. It was during those years I sensed God calling me into full-time ministry.
Despite my academic struggles and indecisiveness, Dr. Vander Werff encouraged me to be a lifelong learner and to give my struggles to God. He could have written me off as an unfocused and undisciplined student, but through his encouragement, he assured me that with God’s help, I could endure the rigors of seminary. I thank God for bringing Dr. Vander Werff into my life.
The Rev. Mark Haverdink ’96
Maurice, Iowa
Dr. Michael Kugler has numerous Western Civ students each semester. It would be easy for him to simply teach the class without connecting with his students, but that is far from the reality of how Kugler teaches. He connects and genuinely cares about each of his students.
Throughout my time at Northwestern, he was always there to listen, provide guidance, challenge students to grow, or to tell a story that would make us laugh. Even though I had him for only a few classes, he will always be one of my favorite professors.
Elizabeth Colbert ’08
Sioux Falls, S.D. 
Classic Comments
All comments are moderated and need approval from the moderator before they are posted. Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post. Comments posted do not reflect the views or values of Northwestern College.