| Few educators of the twentieth century can claim the accomplishments of George Frederick Zook. This extraordinary individual worked for forty-one years in continuous service in higher education, laboring in both the non-profit and government sectors. Zook's career included a professorship, federal government posts, and a public university presidency. He ultimately rose to become the President of the American Council on Education (ACE) in 1934 and ended his long career there sixteen years later.; Zook foresaw the tremendous change coming after World War Two. He understood the ramifications of the GI Bill and how that piece of legislation would affect colleges and universities across America. He and other members of the President's Commission on Higher Education correctly predicted the increase in enrollments in the post-war years. As a result, Zook spent much of his efforts after the war had ended in securing federal aid to education.; Zook also spent much time after the Second World War helping to organize and build UNESCO into an action-oriented body despite the international political scene which frequently served as a roadblock to progress. Zook emerged as perhaps the leading educational authority in international educational affairs in America, as he traveled frequently on behalf of UNESCO.; Zook should be seen, therefore, as an educational visionary. He should also be seen as a leader who tirelessly worked toward world peace, using UNESCO as the vehicle to unite the peoples of all nations. |
