Iona College Announces Appointment of Dr. Jeanne Zaino as Interim Dean of the School of Arts and Science

Dr. Jeanne Zaino

New Rochelle, (October 2011) Dr. Jeanne Zaino, has been appointed to the position of Interim Dean of the School of Arts and Science for Iona College. An experienced scholar and administrator, Dr. Zaino has been with Iona for over 10 years. As Interim Dean, Dr. Zaino will oversee 25 departments in the School of Arts and Science which includes over 25 faculty chairs and 135 Faculty.

“Dr. Zaino is a perfect fit in her new role as Dean. Her expertise, dedication and enthusiasm are prevalent in all aspects of her work with both students and faculty. She has developed and nurtured an important external network of professional collaborations that reaches far beyond the campus community,” said Interim Provost, Dr. Brian Nickerson.

“I am truly honored to have been appointed Interim Dean. I look forward to working with the talented faculty, staff and students in this new capacity,” said Dr. Zaino.

“Dr. Zaino embodies the character and intellect of Iona College,” said Joseph E. Nyre, Ph.D., President of Iona College.

Prior to this appointment, Dr. Zaino was the Director of the Honors Program and Associate Professor of Political Science at Iona College where she taught courses in American government, presidency, courts, voting, elections, public opinion, political parties, and research methods. Her most recent research focuses on post-2000 electoral litigation, the import of poll workers and the pedagogical benefits of metaphors. Her work has been published in journals as varied as: Campaigns and Elections, Journal of Politics, Journal of Political Science Education, Dispute Resolution Journal, Journal of Pastoral Counseling, and the Chronicles of Higher Education. She is the author of Adventures in Social Research: Data Analysis Using SPSS (Pine Forge/Sage) with sociologists Earl Babbie and Fred Halley. Currently, she is completing a book for Prentice Hall entitled, Core Concepts in American Government which is due out at the end of 2011.

Dr. Zaino earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at the University of Connecticut, Storrs where she was an honors student and a University scholar. Upon graduation, she remained in Storrs to get a masters degree in survey research and work as a research assistant at the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research. She continued her graduate work at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where she earned a second masters degree and a PhD in political science. While at UMass she worked as both a teaching assistant and a research assistant at the Massachusetts Institute of Social and Economic Research (MISER), as well as a reporter at a local daily newspaper outside of Boston. Her dissertation was directed by Dr. Jerome Mileur and focused on the use of polling in the White House.

In addition, she frequently comments on political and electoral issues in the media. She has recently been quoted in publications as varied as the New York Post, Journal News, and CBS News Interactive. She has done a good deal of radio, including NPR’s Marketplace, WHUD, and WCHE, Pennsylvania. She is also a frequent guest on local and national television with recent appearances on WCBS, News12, WNBC, Fox 5, Good Day New York, Good Day Street Talk, and Strategy Room. She is a regular contributor to Fox News’ live on-line show, “Online.Com,” where she has appeared with Bob Rice, Greg Jarrett, Jonathan Hunt, Heather Nauert, Monica Crowley and others. Recently, she began appearing nightly on Regional News Networks (RNN’s) “RFL” television show with Richard French, Andrew McDermott, and Dominic Carter. She has been a weekly contributor to Bob Marrone’s “Good Morning Westchester” morning drive show on  WVOX radio for several years.

A local resident of New Rochelle, Dr. Zaino is married to Jeffrey Zaino, Esq. and mother to sons Maxim and Logan.

Founded in 1940, Iona College is a four-year private, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers and American Catholic higher education. It is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona offers undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science, and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs.

For questions or more information please contact:
Dawn Insanalli
Public Relations Office
Iona College, 715 North Avenue, New Rochelle, N.Y. 10801
Office: (914) 637-2726
Fax: (914) 637-2711
dinsanalli@iona.edu