Dr. Nicholas J. (Nick) Pace, Ed.D., joined the College of Education in July 2025.
As a leader, Dr. Pace prioritizes the success of students, faculty and staff, as well as strong relationships within communities, and works to amplify the research and work of the college and enhance connections with partners beyond campus.
As a researcher, Dr. Pace’s work focuses primarily on preparing and sustaining school principals, but his other scholarly interests include school administrator wellness and how school leaders seek to grow and improve their leadership practice. He has also taught courses related to education leadership and has extensive experience with curriculum development and enhancement.
Dr. Pace is author of four books on the principalship, including Reality Calling (2013) and Seeking Balance (2014), which are fictional accounts of the events in a principal’s first year and The Principal’s Hot Seat (2011 and 2022, second edition). Dr. Pace’s work has been published in Educational Leadership Review, American School Board Journal, and the Journal of Advanced Academics. He has maintained professional affiliations with state-level school administrator associations, the National Rural Education Association, and University Council for Educational Administration.
Dr. Pace earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), master’s degree in educational leadership from Drake University, and doctorate in educational leadership from UNI.
Dr. Pace also played basketball at UNI as a student-athlete and later coached at the high school and college levels.
After graduating with his bachelor’s degree, Dr. Pace served as a social worker in Kansas City, Mo., before becoming a social studies teacher and eventually a middle and high school principal in Iowa.
He returned to UNI as an instructor and student teaching coordinator in 2000, eventually being named professor and department head of the Department of Educational Leadership and Postsecondary Education in 2015.
Prior to coming to Kentucky, Dr. Pace served as interim dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL). Previously, Dr. Pace was professor and department chair in the Department of Educational Administration at UNL, roles he held since 2017. An active student of leadership, he has participated in the UNI President’'s Leadership Academy, was a fellow in the Big Ten Academic Alliance Leadership Program, and a participant in the Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership through Arizona State University and Georgetown University.
“Education and its potential to transform lives and communities excite me. The UK College of Education is an amazing comunity that combines the power of research innovations with expert teaching and engaging and hands-on learning. Our faculty and staff members are world renowned thinkers and leaders in how we can work in authentic partnerships across boundaries to tackle the challenges and opportunities that matter most in Kentucky and beyond. I am honored to build on the legacy of excellence and help guide the college to even greater impacts.”
