Grace Mims

Grace Mims is a Professor and Interim Dean of the College of Education at the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK). She has served in this role since July 2019. Previously, she chaired the Department of Counseling and School Psychology, overseeing four accredited graduate programs. Mims is a licensed independent professional counselor with over 26 years of experience in counselor education and supervision.

Education:

• Bachelor’s in Psychology, University of Central Missouri
• Master’s in Student Affairs and Community Counseling, Western Illinois University
• Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision, Southern Illinois University

Research Interests: Mims focuses on violence prevention, diversity and inclusion training, trauma response systems for students, and community-university partnerships. Her work includes establishing the UNK/Buffalo County Sexual Assault Response Team and a 12-year K-12 diversity initiative with Sioux Falls School District.

Awards:

• 2011 UNK Student Affairs Partnership Award ($350K DOJ grant)
• 2016 Pratt-Heins Teaching Award
• 2018 ACES National Teaching Award
• 2000 NCACES Diversity Award

Advising & Grants: Secured over $1.25M in federal grants to address student victimization. Oversees graduate programs with international/national accreditations. Served on state advisory councils including Nebraska Behavioral Health and DHHS Region 3.

Labs/Teams: Co-founded the UNK/Buffalo County Sexual Assault Response Team, a multi-agency initiative supporting survivors of violence.