Administrators should aim to have qualities similar to Bill Nicklas, former vice president of Operations and Community Relations: commitment to the student body and support for the community.

Nicklas went above and beyond what was expected for an administrator and set a precedent.

After the university terminated Don Grady, former NIU police chief, in February 2013, Nicklas’s role as vice president for Institutional Planning and Sustainability expanded to director of Public Safety. Throughout this process, Nicklas ensured the best quality of conduct from the NIU Police Department in the wake of multiple scandals and kept the student body informed by attending every Student Association Senate meeting — as was common for him throughout three years at NIU, according to an Oct. 27 Northern Star article — and taking the time to speak to Northern Star reporters.

“From the minute I arrived on campus in October of 2011, the most refreshing and lively part of my day is working with students,” Nicklas said in a July 15, 2013, Northern Star article. “I’m struck by the seriousness they have. It creates an energy that is remarkable.”

Nicklas’s commitment to transparency did not end with the student body. The ushering in of NIU Police Chief Tom Phillips in August 2013 led to a better relationship between the DeKalb Police Department and campus police.

The Editorial Board recognizes what made Nicklas a good administrator and encourages current and future administrators to have the same influential qualities for students.