Zac Pace

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln

MA in Educational Administration, specializing in Student Affairs Administration

Hometown: Muscatine, Iowa

Undergraduate Institution: Drake University

Previous Institutions: Drake University

Why did you choose your graduate institution? I was seeking a dynamic institution that offered a commitment to master’s level research, a variety of graduate assistantships that offered tuition remission, and a cohort model. It was also important to me that I stay in the Midwest.

Why did you want to go to graduate school?  I went to college planning to pursue an advanced degree, but I originally thought that would mean law school.  I actually transferred as a first year student after an especially difficult transition to college.  After beginning study at Drake I became involved and invested in the Drake experience as a student leader and chose to pursue a graduate degree in student affairs because I nearly missed out entirely on the college experience.

What area(s) of Student Affairs interest you most? One of my niche interests is crisis management and response, particularly sexual assault survivor support/advocacy and prevention programming.  I am also particularly intrigued by gender based programming, and first year/transition programming.

If you could take a year off from work/school what would you do? If I had a year off from work and school I think I’d immerse myself in the arts.  I have always wanted to learn to paint or to make pottery and I once tried to add a bassoon performance major in undergrad even though I’ve never held a bassoon.  I would also read all of the books I have been promising myself I’ll get around to.

What is your dream job?  A large part of why I chose Student Affairs is because the field is foundationally interdisciplinary.  My dream job is to be a professor and researcher in educational leadership and policy studies, likely focusing my research on the gendered experiences of students during their college experience.