Meet dual credit instructor Zachary Kollbaum CO ‘16 GR ‘19

Zachary Kollbaum CO ‘16 GR ‘19 discovered Concordia Nebraska thanks to his mother who “really wanted me to check out the campus.” After touring the university and meeting with coaches and faculty, he said he fell in love with Concordia and knew it was where he needed to be. 

Kollbaum has a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with emphasis in mathematics and history from Concordia Nebraska. He has a master’s degree in athletics administration from Concordia and has also completed six classes in coursework through University of Nebraska-Lincoln which qualify him to teach dual credit courses. 

He has many fond memories of his time at Concordia but said that university’s close-knit campus community and atmosphere for learning still stand out to him. 

“I was able to have a social life all while playing baseball and earning my degree. It was fantastic to be able to do all of that,” he said. “[My professors] really helped me by challenging me in the classroom and making me think more about the content that I was learning. They did this while making classes enjoyable. I knew that I wanted to be a teacher, but after taking classes in both my subject areas and my education classes, I know that I wanted to try and have a classroom that did what theirs did. That was showing God's love through my teaching and showing them that the content - while sometimes boring in math - can still be fun to learn and grow in our learning.” 

Kollbaum said Concordia equipped him with the necessary skills to teach in the classroom and also gave him experiences that allowed him to take ownership of my learning while being in a safe environment if he were to fail.  

“In addition, I was shown how to be a Christ-like leader from my professors, and this was invaluable to me in my classroom. I learned from them how to serve in a way that allows for learning to take place but also allows for grace to happen when needed,” he said. “The Lutheran Teaching Diploma classes definitely did this for me, in particular my classes that I took with Rev. Dr. Reek and Dr. Moulds. They really challenged me not only academically but in a way that made me think more inwardly about my faith and how I was showing it. They really made me think deeper about myself as well as the world around me and how I needed to not just give my faith lip service but serve it out in all that I do.” 

 “I was shown how to be a Christ-like leader from my professors, and this was invaluable to me in my classroom. I learned from them how to serve in a way that allows for learning to take place but also allows for grace to happen when needed.”

After graduation, Kollbaum and his wife Clarissa ’15 moved to Florida where they taught at Grace Lutheran Church and School for two years. He then received and accepted a call to teach at Lincoln Lutheran Middle/High School where he has been for the past eight years. 

He started at the school teaching 7th grade math, 8th grade math, geometry and algebra 2. After six years, he traded his 7th grade and 8th grade classes for algebra 1 and became the high school algebra 1, geometry and algebra 2 teacher.  

“After some gentle nudging from our former dual credit teacher Cindy Troyer, I enrolled in classes at UNL to be able to teach dual credit which I have just completed my first year of doing, he said. “I also serve as our middle school athletic director and concessions lead and as an assistant coach on the baseball team.” 

The Concordia Nebraska dual credit program allows high school students to earn transferable college credits at a reduced rate. The program offers courses found in the general education requirements of most colleges and universities, meaning credits earned through Concordia Nebraska are eligible to transfer to most other colleges and universities. 

Kollbaum said there is not a typical day at his job, and he’s always busy. 

“When I am not teaching, I can more than likely be found somewhere on campus doing something with athletics. Whether it is stocking a concession stand, painting fields or setting up Hudl equipment, I am always busy doing something,” he said. “The fact that I now get to help students jump start their college career and be a part of their high school experience in athletics [is very fulfilling]. I love getting to help students with complex math problems as well as getting to aid them in having an awesome high school experience with activities.” 

Kollbaum is one of five children, all of whom attended Concordia Nebraska for at least two years. He played baseball for the Bulldogs at Concordia for four years and his wife played softball for the Bulldogs for four years, as well. Zachary and Clarissa have three sons: Calvin (6), Elliot (5) and Nile (3). Daughter Danae was born last December. They also have a dog named Seamus and several fish.  

Concordia University, Nebraska’s Dual Credit program offers students an opportunity to get a jump start on college, allowing them to earn college credit at a reduced cost before graduating high school. Concordia’s dual credit program offers courses found in the general education requirements of most colleges and universities, meaning credits earned through Concordia Nebraska are eligible to transfer to most other colleges and universities.