Northwestern Engineering Names Winners of 2025 Cole-Higgins Awards

Five members of the Northwestern Engineering community have received the school’s annual awards for outstanding teaching and advising.

Joshua D’Arcy, Izzy Grosof, Jeremy Keys, and Amjed Shafique received the 2025 Cole-Higgins Award for Excellence in Teaching, while Robert Linsenmeier earned the Cole-Higgins Award for Excellence in Advising.

Joshua D’Arcy

D’Arcy, clinical assistant professor of computer science, was cited for “exceptional class organization and commitment to ensuring student learning.”

“Professor D'Arcy is very organized, knowledgeable, presents very effectively and enthusiastically, very respectful, very humble, very accommodating to the students’ experience in the course, and very fair in their treatment of students,” one nominator wrote. Professor D'Arcy truly is an outstanding instructor. One of the best professors I've had the pleasure of learning from in my life.”

Izzy Grosof 

Grosof, assistant professor of industrial engineering and management sciences (IEMS), was cited for “exceptional teaching excellence in designing and delivering challenging technical content while supporting student success at every turn.”

“Professor Grosof consistently demonstrated exceptional teaching excellence in IEMS 315: Stochastic Models, making it the best course I have taken at Northwestern,” a nominator wrote. “Their approachable manner, responsiveness to feedback, and genuine care for student success created an exceptional learning experience deserving recognition through the Cole-Higgins Award.”

Jeremy Keys 

Keys, assistant professor of instruction of mechanical engineering, was cited for “actively soliciting and acting upon questions and feedback to make his classes accessible and rewarding to all students.”

“Professor Keys is easily one of the best professors I've had at Northwestern. He brings a joy and genuine interest to every class that's inspiring, and is always happy to answer questions, no matter how repetitive or seemingly insignificant,” a nominator wrote. “More than anything else, Professor Keys's teaching has made me believe that I am capable of learning difficult things that I previously thought not possible.”

Amjed Shafique

Shafique, an adjunct professor in IEMS also affiliated with the Master of Engineering Management program, was cited for “success in advancing students’ professional skillset through his teaching.”

“The teaching is excellent, and he makes a genuine effort to connect with each student to ensure they understand the material. He consistently goes the extra mile to support his students,” a nominator wrote. “Professor Amjed uses ‘teachbacks’ as a strategy to get students to teach the class. He knows the material very well and challenges students to think outside the box. He has built great leaders and taught us so much.”

Robert Linsenmeier

Linsenmeier, professor emeritus of biomedical engineering, was cited for “comprehensive and thoughtful advising of biomedical engineering students, especially in addressing the particular needs of new transfer students.”

“Professor Linsenmeier has made my life so much easier. He has helped me navigate through all sorts of challenges involved with being a transfer student. From having my back petitioning for classes, to supporting me through a tough transition in my first quarter, he has been nothing but helpful,” one nominator wrote. “All of my BME transfer friends have Professor Linsenmeier as an adviser and we always talk about how he single-handedly has made transferring a smoother experience. His knowledge, advice, and guidance are unparalleled, and I truly believe that if not for him, my life as a BME student would be substantially more strenuous.”