May 4, 2026
Shawnee State University has announced the 2026 Faculty Awards. As part of this year’s presentation, the recipient of the Board of Trustees Distinguished Teaching Award is Dr. Karen Koehler. An Associate Professor in the university’s School of Education, Dr. Koehler has been with the university since 2017.
“Dr. Koehler has demonstrated extraordinary service and leadership throughout her career,” said SSU President Eric Andrew Braun while presenting the award during this year’s Spring Commencement ceremony. “Her work as program lead, project director and co-director across several initiatives has created lasting infrastructure to support educator development in high-need areas.”
In addition to her role in the classroom, Dr. Koehler is the Lead Faculty and Program Director for the TVI Consortium Program, Co-Lead Faculty for the Intervener Certificate Program, and Co-Project Director for the Certificate in Deafblindness Education Program in the School of Education. Dr. Koehler has also served as Chair of the LPDC Committee at SSU since 2018, Chair of the Graduate Council at Shawnee State University, and as a member of the Tenure and Promotion Committee in the School of Education. In addition to these roles, Dr. Koehler provides service at both the state and national levels. She is an active member of the Ohio Deans Compact on Exceptional Children and a board member of the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Visual Impairments and Deafblindness.
“I am truly honored to be recognized with the Distinguished Teaching Award for 2026 and proud to be a part of a team of faculty who are dedicated to the success of every student,” said Dr. Koehler. “It is so rewarding to watch my students grow as educators and have such a positive impact on students and families across Ohio.”
Dr. Koehler received her Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences Education in 1986 from Ohio State University before completing her Master of Arts in Special Education from the same institution in 1995. In 2017, she received her Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning with a concentration in Visual Impairments and Science Education from OSU.
The SSU Board of Trustees Distinguished Teaching Award is presented to an instructor who makes a significant impact on their students by engaging with them in a meaningful way while providing excellent teaching and contributions to higher education.