Luis A. Schulz, who recently retired as an associate director of education for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, was honored with the Medallion of Distinction, the education department's highest award, at a morning ceremony April 13 at the world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States. Lisa Beardsley-Hardy, education director for the General Conference, made the presentation.
“It’s bestowed on a select number of individuals who are truly worthy” of the honor, Beardsley-Hardy said during the opening minutes of the Wednesday meeting.
As the top honor for an Adventist educator, criteria for selection is high. According to the department’s guidelines, recipients must demonstrate “specific evidence” of an “enduring contribution to Adventist education” and “have exhibited unusual dedication to Adventist education,” shown by “remarkable success and high achievement on an international and inter-Division basis.”
Schulz’s record reflects adherence to those high standards. He spent more than 44 years in denominational service, with more than 40 years as either a teacher, administrator or educational leader. Schulz's career extended from serving as an academy instructor through heading what is today River Plate Adventist University in central Argentina. As president, he helped establish more than ten new academic programs at that institution, including medicine, psychology, physical therapy, nutrition, communications, and social work, as well as several graduate programs.
Along with a tripling of overall enrollment at the school to more than 3,200 students, Schulz also boosted international enrollment at River Plate Adventist University to a total of 600. Evangelism and witnessing programs launched during his tenure resulted in 2,600 baptisms.
In 2005, Schulz and his wife Susana, came to General Conference where they both served in the Education Department. As an associate director, he served as liaison to four of the church’s 13 Divisions—the Euro-Asia Division, the Inter-European Division, the Inter-American Division, and the South American Division. He served as Associate Editor of The Journal of Adventist Education’s international editions in French, Portuguese, and Spanish, and more than doubled the level of international subscriptions to over 30,000 just within the past
His wife, Susana Schulz, herself an educator and director of international studies at River Plate Adventist University, has served for ten years as editorial assistant for the department's student-focused Dialogue magazine, and at the same time being in charge of the Spanish, French, and Portuguese editions. She also coordinated and supervised proofreading of Adventist World magazine in Spanish.
The education department awarded Susana Schulz a pin for her 40 years of denominational service in the educational realm.
“What an incredible privilege to honor a couple that has distinguished themselves in Seventh-day Adventist education, not in a routine manner, but in literally changing the lives of thousands of young people, pointing them to Christ and a lifetime of service,” said Pastor Ted N.C. Wilson, General Conference president.
The Schulzes are the parents of three adult daughters, who are active in the church together with their husbands, and are the proud grandparents of four children.
