In the office in Ell Hall where Vice President for Student Affairs Ed Klotzbier spends his time are two pictures: one, a black and white photo of Northeastern’s campus in the 1980s, blanketed with parking lots; and next to it, a near-identical color picture of Northeastern now, filled to the brim with campus buildings.
It was during the time of the first picture that Klotzbier became a Husky – when Northeastern was still primarily a commuter school, where students could pay for their tuition from the money they earned on co-op.
Northeastern has transformed in leaps and bounds from when it was established by the YMCA in 1898. Many of the changes have been positive, pushing the school higher and higher into top rankings. But throughout the years, Ed Klotzbier has served as a reminder to the administration of Northeastern’s roots – local and accessible, he has served as a needed foil to the glossy institution represented by President Joseph A. Aoun.
At school athletics games, Klotzbier was a constant presence, frequently walking through the seats chatting with students. When there were the original talks of cutting football, he was a proponent of keeping the program, even though the idea was unpopular with some administrators, and sat on the steering committee to help make it viable. Ever growing into a “global institution,” when Aoun pushed for students to go abroad, Klotzbier made sure to back students who were simply not capable of affording it, reminding the administration that receiving their whole education in America should not deter it from being exceptional.
In 2004, Klotzbier held both the position of director of communications and vice president of student affairs, as a test run for which he was better suited to. During that first year as VP, Northeastern underwent a whirlwind of tragedy when six students died in six weeks. Most people would balk at the responsibility of managing a student body grieving in such numbers. But Klotzbier stuck with us – and continued to serve in the latter role for seven additional years.
On a personal note, Klotzbier has always been a much-needed ally for The News at a school where there are few left. In 2008, we felt a need to move independent of the university. The paper looked to move off campus and end our reign as The Northeastern News, in the process equating ourselves to the many other independent student publications around the city. Ultimately, the decision on whether or not to support us came down to Klotzbier, and we could not have done it without him.
As the university seeks out a replacement for Klotzbier’s position, we hope that they lean toward someone who can ease into the role in the same way only a true Husky could. International Ivy League executives may help the school transition swiftly into a polished institution, but for the position of vice president of student affairs, it needs to be reminded that it’s the students and their interests that should come first. And while Aoun’s lofty goals are admirable, it’s vital that Northeastern maintain a shred of where it has come from. All of the glass residence halls and high application rates in the world can’t hide our past, and they shouldn’t need to.
Ed Klotzbier has always kept the old Northeastern in mind – that concrete commuter school in the black and white picture. While the current institution paints the school in a shimmering exterior, continuing to hike tuition and push an agenda focused on an international education, Klotzbier served as an important reminder of the core Northeastern was built on: Community. He understands it because he was there. The Northeastern student body should expect nothing less from whoever follows in his expansive footsteps.
