Karen Schmalz, Professor Emerita: Building Geneva’s Special Education Program with Excellence and Vision
Karen Schmalz ‘79, EdD, has received emeritus status after retiring from her 27-year career as a professor of special education at Geneva College. Schmalz has been involved with Geneva’s special education program since its beginning in 1998, eventually serving as its director. In all of her work, whether in the college classroom or in her global educational consulting, she motivates students and teachers alike to achieve their highest potential.
Schmalz’s journey in education began with a love for working with children. She graduated from Geneva in 1979 with a degree in elementary education (at the time, private colleges could not offer special education programs). After graduating, she taught grade school in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Haiti before realizing her specific interest in special education. She earned her master’s in special education in 1984 from Shippensburg University. Though she stepped away from teaching for a handful of years, during which she worked as a certified real estate agent, she decided to re-enter the field in the late ‘90s.
A short stint at Harrisburg Area Community College teaching both special and early childhood education opened — and then another class, another term, a full set of classes. Once she began teaching education courses at a collegiate level, Schmalz realized her gifting in educating educators.
A move to Ohio for her husband’s job brought her closer to her alma mater. A news article on the development of a special education program at Geneva in the Geneva Magazine caught her eye, and she reached out with the hope of finding a position. Though the department wasn’t ready to hire in this new program, Schmalz sat for an interview with former chair of the education department Dave Harvey. She began to teach part-time in pre-student teaching courses in 1998. Quickly, her courseload grew and, within three years, Schmalz moved into a full-time position in the Geneva education department.
Committed to her work in the department, Schmalz began a doctorate program in 2001, earning her EdD in Educational Psychology from Regent University in 2005.
Schmalz helped to grow the special education program from its infancy at Geneva. As director, she taught foundational courses and oversaw student-teaching internships. Early in her Geneva career, special education internships were taught in close partnership with local schools. Geneva professors were considered honorary faculty at the school, directly supporting grade school students in the classroom before teaching collegiate courses in the school building.
“I would set up in the library, talk to students and see them in their classroom. Every week I would be out in the field on the day that I was teaching my particular [special education] class.”
She helped to navigate major shifts in certification standards and pedagogy over the years. Early in her tenure, special education often involved “pull-out” classes that prioritized one-on-one and small group learning; today, co-teaching and “push-in” models dominate. Schmalz embraced these changes, equipping her students to work alongside general education teachers and adapt to evolving classroom realities.
“It’s a vast change from when we first started,” says Schmalz.
Through adjustments to state competency requirements, Geneva’s program requires all elementary education students to be dual certified in special education.
Despite necessary changes throughout the decades, one area of the program has remained constant.
“One thing that didn’t change is the rigor of our program. The elementary ed and special ed students do three semesters in the field, so by the time they graduate they’ve been immersed in the school districts. That really gives them a leg-up on students from other colleges who don’t have that intensive field experience.”
Geneva’s program allows for college students to be mentored by professors while also cooperating with teachers in the school districts for a well-rounded learning experience.
“The research-to-practice model is one of the reasons I'm really proud of our program. It's really what makes the students well prepared to go out into the field and feel comfortable.”
Known among students for her tough love, Schmalz set high expectations for her students and urged them to reach their full potential, even when they doubted themselves. She provided professional mentorship to her students that set the tone for the rigorous demands of both Geneva’s education program and a lifetime career as a schoolteacher.
“I wasn’t the [buddy-type of professor, but] I wanted the best for them and I loved them,” reflects Schmalz. “It was rewarding for me when I would get emails or letters at the end of the semester when students are graduating and they would thank me for pushing them harder than they thought they could do.”
Her approach to education is rooted in the belief that teachers ought to expect excellence from students at every level without watering down the curriculum. As a teacher of teachers, Schmalz emphasizes this value in training the next generation of educators who will help to shape the American education system.
This commitment is mirrored by her admiration for international teaching models, which she studied during her 2015 sabbatical.
Her sabbatical took her to Asia — primarily to Japan and South Korea — to countries with top education models. This research affirmed her belief in seeing students as whole people with various giftings and challenges that make each person unique. Though not all people learn in the same way, the integrity of an academic program should remain constant while individual students are supported.
"For some kids, their strength is not schoolwork. That doesn’t mean they’re any less of a person, because we’re all created in God’s image,” says Schmalz. “But we can’t reduce our educational requirements.”
This philosophy applies to both general and special education programs, as evidenced by the models in other countries that hold broader views of a student. In other countries, special education programs prioritize a variety of lessons, such as violin instruction, that develop gifts outside of the regular academic realms.
Her travel connects her longstanding passion for both education and missions. For over a decade, she led Geneva mission trips to Mexico. She has also partnered with SAFE (Services in Asia for Family Education), a Christian organization supporting homeschooling families in regions with limited educational options. In retirement, she continues as the head of SAFE’s special education arm, consulting with families across Asia and leading workshops for educational consultants at the annual conference in Thailand.
Her retirement will not be idle. In addition to her ongoing work with SAFE, Schmalz is assisting her daughter and other homeschooling parents through seminars that focus on choosing curriculum and understanding a child’s development. She also continues as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteer, providing intensive support for children involved in legal disputes.
As she steps away from the classroom, Schmalz urges her colleagues to “maintain the standards that have been set at Geneva,” including faith integration, a rigorous program, and training students “who do excellent work to God’s honor and glory.” She is confident in the abilities of the new director of special education, Emily Maddox, to lead the program with continued care and high standards.
Karen Schmalz has impacted countless lives not only through her direct instruction of students, but in the trickle-down effect on the future generations of students taught by those trained in her classroom. Her influence and continued curiosity as a lifelong learner and educator will continue in classrooms, both near and far, for years to come.
By Erika Kauffman '20
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