Dr. Janis I. “Jan” Zink served as a dedicated advancement professional at The University of Tulsa from 1998-2013, in positions of increasing responsibility. During her 15 years at TU, Jan helped lead the University to unprecedented strength as head of its Institutional Advancement and Planning and Outreach team.
During Jan’s tenure, the University emerged with a vibrant new profile as a top-tier national university, developing more than one-million square feet of residential campus facilities, enhancing the faculty and student body profiles, expanding instructional and research programs, and achieving recognition as one of the nation’s Top-100 doctoral universities and Top-50 private universities.
Jan Zink was a key leadership figure in other major advances, including the expansion of the University’s Alumni Association into an active national network with 12 chapters and 21 clubs, with one of those clubs being the Association’s first official international presence (India); the launch of the University’s True Blue Neighbors initiative focusing on service to the neighboring Kendall-Whittier Neighborhood; and the University’s historic agreement with the City of Tulsa to assume management of the city-owned Gilcrease Museum, and this move has transformed fundraising, staffing, exhibitions, programming and research at this unmatched institution.
Jan Zink played a central role in planning and implementing the complex set of strategies that led to these achievements, and along the way, she mentored numerous employees who were inspired by her expertise, professionalism, uncompromising standards and impeccable taste.
Jan Zink served as a trusted colleague and advisor to successive TU presidents, and her role brought her in close contact with hundreds of TU alumni and friends, who were impressed with her kindness, integrity, and remarkable ability to build consensus to reach important goals.
Tulsa will hold a special significance in Jan’s life as the place where she met her beloved husband, the late Jack Zink, and they spent many happy times together enjoying all that Tulsa has to offer while working to ensure a bright future for the city through thoughtful philanthropic support.
Many TU alumni, friends, faculty and staff wished to recognize and celebrate Jan Zink and the remarkable legacy she left at The University of Tulsa when she moved on to pursue family time and a new career opportunity in North Carolina in March 2013.
In honor of her service and legacy, these friends generously established The Jan Zink Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund.
