Doug Zatechka, 75, retired director of University Housing, died Dec. 14 from lung cancer. He served a combined 45 years in university housing — first at Michigan State, then 34 years at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
His career in housing came through happenstance. Having completed two years of postsecondary education at a junior college, Zatechka transferred to what is now the University of Northern Iowa to pursue a biology degree and admission to medical school.
He started working as a resident assistant at Northern Iowa and loved it. A dormitory director who earned a master’s degree at Michigan State University asked if Zatechka would be interested in the field as a potential career.
“It was something I never even knew existed,” Zatechka said in a Nov. 18, 2010, retirement story. “He took me up to Michigan State my junior year. I was this small-town kid from central Iowa going to the big city. I thought it was amazing.”
Zatechka earned admission and a full-ride scholarship to a Michigan State master’s program and — in his words — “never looked back.”
When he was selected as Nebraska’s housing director, Zatechka and his wife, Jane, planned to stay just for a few years.
“It ended up stretching on and on, five, six, seven, eight years,” Zatechka said. “I really found what I was doing here immensely rewarding.”
Family stability also played a role in staying in Lincoln as the Zatechkas raised three sons — including former Husker football players Jon and Rob Zatcheka.
“Our kids were doing well here, police weren’t showing up at the front door,” Zatechka said. “Things were humming along amazingly well. We just didn’t want to rock the boat. And, in defining my life, I felt professional accomplishments weren’t as important as being a good parent.”
During his tenure with University Housing, the student population staying in residence halls grew from around 4,800 students to 6,200. That growth was buoyed by the work of Nebraska’s Admissions team, along with the construction of four residence halls — Village, Courtyard, the Kaufmann Center and Knoll Hall.
Zatechka counted relationships built during his tenure among his favorite accomplishments. Those include working with the Residence Hall Association, the Raikes School, Honors Program, Student Affairs, Business Affairs and the creation of learning communities.
He was also first non-faculty member to receive the George Howard-Louise Pound Award for exemplary service to the university, awarded during the All-University Convocation on April 18, 2010. He also earned the Crystal Apple, a Michigan State award for career achievement in education.
Upon his retirement in 2010, Zatechka credited his success to the people of University Housing — from the cooks and accountants to the counselors and custodians.
“We accomplish things because of these people, not because of some director or associate director,” Zatechka said. “They work very hard to make (University Housing) an outstanding experience.”
Nebraska’s housing office was named the Douglas S. Zatechka University Housing Office in honor of his exemplary service to the university and students.
Zatechka was an active member of First Lutheran Church and former board member of Tabitha Health and several other community organizations.
He is survived by Jane, his wife of 52 years; and three sons, D. Steven Zateckha Jr. and his wife, Jenny, of Memphis, Tennessee; Robert Zatechka and his wife, Jennifer, of Omaha; and Jonathan Zatechka and his wife, Sarah, also of Omaha. He also had seven grandchildren.
A memorial service will be 11 a.m. Dec. 20 at First Lutheran Church, 1551 S. 70th St.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to the University of Nebraska Foundation, Michigan State University’s College of Education, or First Lutheran Church.
