University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Costantino takes pride in UB

The first day of classes is Andrea Costantino’s favorite day; her second favorite is commencement. Photo: NANCY J. PARISI

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• “Academics are the most important piece of the puzzle, but all those other social activities makes the experience at UB and make students even more inclined to do well in their classes and want to stay.”

  Andrea Costantino

  Director of Student Life

By JULIE WESOLOWSKI

Published: June 3, 2009

Andrea Costantino, director of student life, still remembers the first time she came to UB. As a high school junior on a science field trip to the campus, she was sold on UB immediately. “UB was the only school I ever wanted to come to. It was the only school I applied to,” she says.

It’s no wonder Costantino was a UB cheerleader for the four years that she was an undergraduate. “There’s a lot of value in the whole idea in the pride for your campus. That goes from when I was in my undergraduate years until now.”

Her pride in UB has grown with her years spent on campus, first as an undergraduate and then as a graduate student. It was during her graduate studies in higher education administration that she started her career in the Student Affairs business office. Fast-forward 17 years later, and after holding various positions within Student Affairs and Student Life, she is now the director of student life.

Costantino’s responsibilities involve engaging students in life outside of academics. “Academics are the most important piece of the puzzle, but all those other social activities makes the experience at UB and make students even more inclined to do well in their classes and want to stay,” she says. She does note, however, that the times have changed since she was a student—advertising activities with a flyer posted on a wall doesn’t cut it anymore. And while there’s still a need for face-to-face interaction, she says keeping up with today’s students means being able to communicate using Facebook and Twitter.

In addition to her duties in Student Life, Costantino also serves as co-chair for the Linda Yalem Safety Run, a 5K race held every fall to promote personal safety awareness and support campus-based crime prevention. Last year, she was able to grow the race to more than 1,600 participants, with 550 student runners and 700 student volunteers.

When Costantino looks to her future at UB, she has many plans for Student Life. She would like to incorporate Buffalo’s infamous weather into the programming—“we should do more with winter,” she says—and also hopes one day to have a mentorship program so that every student who comes to UB has someone they can connect with.

Costantino admits that even after 17 years there are many parts of the university that she’s still getting to know. She says there isn’t a typical day for her because she never knows what to expect or what’s going to happen. “You just have to react, also be proactive and hope that you can make a difference,” she says.

She starts the cycle again when new students arrive each fall. “My favorite day is the first day of school and the second favorite day is commencement. You see them come in and you see them celebrate their achievements and that never gets old,” she says.