Distinguished alumni

Ron Juffer Distinguished Service to Northwestern College

After attending Northwestern, Juffer earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Morningside College. His career in education started as a teacher and coach in Akron, Iowa, and then Sioux Center. The recipient of master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of South Dakota in 1965 and 1974, respectively, Juffer joined Northwestern’s education faculty in 1967. The 1990 Northwestern Teaching Excellence Award winner rarely forgets a face, name or hometown—or other details that have enabled him to warmly greet nearly every student he ever had, even years after they graduated. In addition to teaching numerous future teachers, he was also Northwestern’s baseball coach for 14 years. With a 228-170 record and five conference championships, he recorded the highest number of wins in school history. Although retired, Juffer is frequently on campus, teaching occasional courses and supervising student teacher placement and teacher licensure.

Award year: 2008