Apartments Officially Dedicated

 Friday afternoon, the Kozloff Apartments were officially dedicated to Dr. Jessica S. Kozloff, President Emerita of Bloomsburg University. While outside was overcast and chilly, inside was aglow with smiles, handshakes that lit up the room.

The opening remarks were made by Steven Barth, the Chair of the Council of Trustees, whose voice broke on several occasions as he spoke of the impact Kozloff had as president of BU, and the honor of speaking at the dedication. Following these remarks, current BU President David Soltz made a stirring dedication to Kozloff; giving a brief overview of everything that she had accomplished during her time as president, and thanking her for leaving him a university in great shape.

Dr. Joseph Mowad, a member of the Council of Trustees, also made a few remarks about his time and experience working with Kozloff.  Anikka Brill, the Vice-President of the Community Government Association (CGA), also made a few remarks, and thanked her for her service to the BU community.  Soltz then uncovered the framed picture of Kozloff, which now hangs in the community center, to what can only be described as thunderous applause.

Kozloff eventually made it to the podium. She joked of the new picture hanging up, saying, "I was young once! I didn't have to dye my hair then." She then grew more serious and said that the apartments were a shared vision, brought to life with help from many different people from the campus and beyond. She was astounded at how beautiful the complex had turned out, and said she had always wanted housing "not only where they [the students] could live, but where they would want to live."

The safety of students in on or off campus housing was a major concern for Kozloff. On Oct. 12, 1994, only two months after becoming president, five students were killed in a fire at Beta Sigma Delta house. This led Kozloff to make housing safety her number-one priority. Another fire, this time at Tau Kappa Epsilon in March of 2000, killed 3 students and made the issue of housing safety an even more important, and had to be dealt with.

Kozloff jumped into action; pushing for higher quality housing opportunities for students. The university, with assistance from CGA and Residence Life, bought everything on upper campus, with the exception of the land where the Kozloff Apartments now stand. Following the removal of the Sesame Street complex and the subsequent building of the Honeysuckle Apartments, Kozloff sought to acquire the last bit of never purchased land on upper campus, but the university's funds were low.

The University Foundation, a group who gathers scholarship funds, support for athletic teams and enhancing campus resources, bought the land and held it in trust until the University was ready to undergo such a large project. In April of 2008, groundbreaking for the new complex commenced. Just over a year later it was complete and students began to move in for the start of the Fall semester. "This really is an example of how people work together, how to solve problems and not be problems to each other," said Kozloff.

Kozloff also adorned Bloomsburg's praises. After her retirement from BU, she became a senior consultant for the higher education search firm Academic Search as well as continuing her job as president of Kozloff Enterprises, LLC, which provides consulting services to academic and non-profit entities. This requires her to travel across the country. "I have always been proud of this university, but by going around the country, it blows me away at how amazing we really are. We are so far ahead of our contemporaries across the nation."

Her speech ended with a heartfelt thanks to the whole Bloomsburg community. "I am so proud of you all…and I am so touched to now have a piece of me where because Bloomsburg University will always have a place in my heart."

The Kozloff Apartments opened for students just this August, housing 544 students in three buildings. Each apartment boasts two bathrooms, a kitchen, central air, and is fully furnished. Each floor has a laundry area and the community building has a small fitness area. The university shuttle service has a stop right out front, which helps transport residents to lower campus.