Meet the New Director of the Center for Student Involvement

The Center for Student Involvement (CSI) has a new director, and she’s no stranger to Adelphi.

Anna Zinko served as CSI’s senior assistant director from 2011 to 2015, then took a position at Long Island University Brooklyn as director of student life. But she continued to follow Adelphi from a distance. “I saw a lot of growth and exciting things happening here, like the boom in first-year admissions, more international students and students of color on campus, and the goals outlined in Momentum being integrated into so many things the campus is doing,” she said. “I’m excited to be back.”

Zinko may have changed jobs, but one thing that hasn’t changed since her undergraduate days is her commitment to working with students and, as she says, “helping them have the same formative experiences I had in college.”

The first in her family to attend college, Zinko majored in English and women’s studies at the State University of New York Plattsburgh. She traveled abroad on an alternative break and was an active member and president of her sorority, a role that “gave me a set of skills I didn’t realize I was acquiring at the time. Years later, it hit me that being able to put together an agenda and go into meetings and feel comfortable and confident were related to being president of my sorority.”

When she realized it was possible to make a career out of involving students in campus life and giving them the same type of life-changing experiences, she enrolled at New York University for her master’s degree in higher education/higher education administration.

In her new role at Adelphi, Zinko plans to build on CSI’s successes while implementing new programs and activities. “I think CSI has a lot of long-standing and strong programming that I’d like to continue to see flourish. I also see opportunities for new programs, such as living and learning in New York City—something I’m passionate about—and collaborations between CSI and our faculty or our surrounding communities.”

She’s also eager to hear what students have to say. “Helping students is why I entered this field,” she said. “I’m excited to be here for them, and my door is always open.”

You can find Zinko’s door in the Ruth S. Harley University Center, Room 110. You can also reach her at 516.877.3609 or azinko@adelphi.edu.