New Dean of the College of Education

Dear Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to announce that Dr. Nick Pace has accepted the offer to serve as dean of the UK College of Education, effective July 1, 2025, pending approval of the Board of Trustees.

Dr. Pace is currently serving as the interim dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a role in which he has served since 2023.

As interim dean at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Dr. Pace has helped grow a collaborative environment and enhance community in his college. From his initial listening tour of the college’s departments, centers and programs, he used the feedback shared to develop a dashboard showing progress toward meeting the various needs and priorities expressed by the college community. Highlighting staff, faculty and student success to external audiences and prospective students helped the college with its first enrollment growth in eight years.

In addition, he added new roles to support faculty professional development and growth, including an interim associate dean to support faculty affairs and new leads to support faculty success and teaching as well as research excellence.

I am confident that the UK College of Education will continue to grow under his leadership, with exciting programs and innovative research supported by a talented community. Dr. Pace will bring his experience working in various levels of education to help engage with our College of Education faculty, staff and students involved in more than $20 million in active research, which directly impacts the lives of Kentuckians and others around the world.

I also want to extend my deepest gratitude to Dr. Danelle Stevens-Watkins for serving as acting dean, a role she has held since January 2023. Under her leadership, the College of Education has launched new programs and continued growing as an innovator in learning and the practical application of research. Please join me in thanking Dr. Stevens-Watkins for her dedication to the College of Education as she returns to her position in the Department of Educational, School and Counseling Psychology.

I know you also join me in congratulating Dr. Pace as he joins the Wildcat family. Thank you for continuing to advance UK in all that you do.

Robert S. DiPaola, M.D.
Provost