Sara Klein

In an ever-changing educational landscape, addressing the evolving needs of students is crucial to fostering a sense of belonging and an inclusive learning environment. Few understand this better than Sara Klein, Vice President of Student Affairs at Stevens Institute of Technology, who leads her institution’s efforts on this front.

Max Webber, Co-Host of The Interview, sat down with Sara to discuss topics including her institution’s culture of adaptability and innovation and strategies for encouraging cross-cultural dialogue, as well as her vision for the future of student affairs.


Sara’s Journey

Max: Let’s begin with a brief introduction to yourself and your institution…

My name is Sara Klein, and I am the Vice President for Student Affairs at Stevens Institute of Technology. We’re a four-year private institution located in Hoboken, New Jersey. We are a STEM-focused institution, offering programs from bachelor's to master's and PhDs.

Max: What's been your trajectory into higher education and student affairs?

I came into the field through a fairly traditional path. I was an undergraduate student leader and I was deeply involved in campus life. I built up connections with a lot of the people who worked in the different administrative roles, which prompted me to think about student affairs as a career. I studied musical theater and psychology in college, and I took up a corporate job after graduating college. But I kept thinking about going back to work in student affairs, and I ended up quitting my corporate job to go back to school for higher education and student affairs. I haven't looked back since. I was fortunate to have a transformational undergraduate experience, and I want to pay that forward to every single student who comes through our campus.

Max: How do you go about fostering a sense of inclusion and belonging for all students, regardless of background?

That’s a tough question because what students need to feel that sense of belonging is changing quickly. Student needs are constantly evolving, and higher education institutions can often be resistant to change. As practitioners, we need to stay ahead of that, but it can be hard to predict. At Stevens, we pride ourselves on our adaptability. For me, it's about having my finger on the pulse, staying one step ahead, and try to solve problems before they arise. We want to create a loving environment on campus – I do my job with love, and encourage my team to do the same. You need to ask, “Why are we doing this work in the first place?” Education isn’t Wall Street; we aren’t there for the money. It’s a calling. We need to show students how much we care and help that feeling spread through the entire campus community.

Max: You mentioned how institutions can be resistant to change. How do you encourage your teams to be receptive to new ideas and approaches?

I can’t take credit for that – it's down to the culture of our institution. Our tagline is “The innovation university” – and we try to extend that mindset to our employee culture, too. Part of being innovative means that you have to be able to make changes and move quickly when needed. We are fortunate to have excellent collaboration across campus, particularly between Student Affairs and Academic Affairs. So when we need to make a change, everyone’s on board, and we can cut the red tape and make it happen.

Max: Recent guests have been discussing the challenge of polarization on college campuses. How can we encourage students to engage in civil discourse across divides?

It’s a complex issue. I think every administrator is grappling with this, especially given the political climate right now. It's something that gets to the core of Student Affairs work: we're always trying to help students understand how to work with people, talk to people, and build relationships with people who are different from them – from day one. We talk about it from the day they come here through our orientation and pre-orientation programs, and we continue that education throughout our students’ time here. Our First Year Experience course plays a crucial role in this. This is the first non-STEM-focused mandatory class we’ve ever had at Stevens. It’s not a traditional academic course, but it’s about psychosocial identities, campus resources, and navigating the college experience. We talk a lot in that class about creating an inclusive climate on our campus and practicing inclusivity in your life. And that includes interacting with people who disagree with you. Through that class, we facilitate dialogue throughout the semester to help the students talk to each other, especially regarding multicultural perspectives and speaking across differences.

When specific issues come up, such as the events of October 7, we take the role of a facilitator to help students come together and have constructive conversations. We involve affected groups on campus, like our Muslim Student Association and Jewish student organization, to foster dialogue. It’s not about taking sides, but about creating spaces for understanding and respectful disagreement. Not every 18-year-old has the skills to discuss these difficult issues. Statistically, most people in the United States grow up in a homogeneous environment, but when they come to college, they are immersed in diversity. Much of that education happens with the students on their own – students learning about each others’ lives and experiences.

Max: What is the best piece of advice you’ve received across the course of your career?

Be assertive, be brave, and ask for the things that you want. You can’t just wait for good things to happen; nobody is going to do it for you.