Iona College is a Congregation of Christian Brothers-affiliated four-year college in New Rochelle, New York. Located 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan in suburban Westchester County, the college occupies 45 acres (0.18Â km2) at 715 North Avenue. It also operates a Graduate Center in Pearl River Rockland County, New York.
Iona offers BA, BS, BBA, and BPS undergraduate degrees and several master's degree programs. An honors program, with special courses, seminars, mentoring, advising, and off-campus opportunities, is available to top students.
History
Founded in 1940 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers, Iona College is a private, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of American Catholic higher education.
Previous to opening in New York, the brothers taught at Saint Mary's College in Halifax NS. They had been brought in from Bonaventure College in Saint John's Nfld in 1913. They operated the Halifax institution until 1940 when they were given a tearful sendoff after a run-in with the new archbishop, John T McNally.
Iona College opened its doors in 1940, with nine Christian Brothers and six lay faculty greeting the first class. The Christian Brothers named the College after Iona, the island monastery of St. Columba [in Irish: St. Colmcille] located off the west coast of Scotland. Columba founded the monastery in 563 AD. The Congregation of Christian Brothers was itself founded in 1802 by Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice in Waterford, Ireland.
In 1940, the idea of the College's founding community of Brothers was to start a small, affordable college for the sons of New York's working class. At the time, the Christian Brothers taught in seven high schools in the Archdiocese of New York, including Iona Prep, All Hallows, Rice High School, and Power Memorial. They recognized that many of their graduates could not afford the cost of local universities, and so they started Iona.
Guiding the College through its tenuous start and sudden growth were two gifted Presidents: Br. William Barnabas Cornelia (1885â€"1955) and Br. Arthur Austin Loftus (1904â€"1979). One a native of Dublin, the other a native New Yorker, they helped Iona expand and prosper throughout the middle of the 20th century.
In 1984, New York Governor Mario Cuomo gave the Iona College commencement speech.
In 1989, Elizabeth Seton College of Yonkers, New York merged with Iona.
List of Presidents
- Br. William B. Cornelia, CFC, PhD (1940â€"1946)
- Br. Arthur A. Loftus, CFC, PhD (1946â€"1953)
- Br. William H. Barnes, CFC, PhD (1953â€"1959)
- Br. Richard B. Power, CFC, PhD (1959â€"1965)
- Br. Joseph G. McKenna, CFC, PhD (1965â€"1971)
- Br. John G. Driscoll, CFC, PhD (1971â€"1994)
- Br. James A. Liguori, CFC, EdD (1994â€"2011)
- Dr. Joseph E. Nyre, PhD (2011â€"present)
Mission statement
According to its mission statement, "Iona College is a caring academic community, inspired by the legacy of Blessed Edmund Rice and the Christian Brothers, which embodies opportunity, justice, and the liberating power of education. Iona College's purpose is to foster intellectual inquiry, community engagement, and an appreciation for diversity. In the tradition of American Catholic Higher Education, Iona College commits its energies and resources to the development of graduates recognized for their ethics, creativity, and problem solving abilities; their independent and adaptable thinking; their joy in lifelong learning; and their enduring integration of mind, body, and spirit." This statement was adopted in May 2012.
Academics
The college is divided into two main academic units: a school of arts and science and a business school.
Through it 22 academic departments, the School of Arts & Science offers more than 40 BA, BS and BPS degrees and more than 25 master’s degrees, as well as several non-degree certificate programs. According to the school's web, "Our foundation in the liberal arts enables our students to develop knowledge and skills that are highly valued by today’s employers: written and verbal communication, critical thinking, ethical decision making. As motivated lifelong learners, Iona graduates have the ability to grow and advance in their careers as they shape a more just and inclusive society."
Iona' School of Business offers degree programs leading to the Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting, business administration, finance, information systems, international business, management and marketing. The school also has a fast track MBA program, which is geared toward people who want to gain an edge in their chosen field. The Fast Track MBA shaves 10 months off the length of traditional MBA programs by offering courses in a sequence that guarantees a speedy graduation. On the school's website its mission is stated as "The School’s commitment to Catholic Higher Education in the Christian Brothers’ Tradition coupled with our AACSB â€" International (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accreditation assures that the student is at the core of everything we do." In November 2015, Robert LaPenta, Iona alumnus, gave the college with a $15 million gift to add to and renovate the School of Business facility Hagan Hall.
In March 2017, alumnus and Trustee Chairman James Hynes and his wife, Anne Marie, announced a $15 million gift to establish the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation.
Accreditations
- Iona College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
- The Department of Mass Communication is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism & Mass Communication (ACEJMC).
- The Hagan School of Business is accredited for its Business program by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).
- Iona's Department of Social Work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
- The Department of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
- Iona's Department of Marriage and Family Therapy is accredited by The Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE), the accrediting body of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).
- Iona's Department of School Psychology is accredited by the National Association of School Psychologist (NASP)
- Iona's Computer Science Department is accredited by ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) for their B.S. in Computer Science
Campus
Academic lecture halls at Iona College include Murphy Center, McSpedon Hall, Arrigoni Center, Doorley Hall, Cornelia Hall, Amend Hall, Ryan Library and Hagan Hall. The most recent additions to the campus include the newly constructed Robert V. LaPenta Student Union, the expanded Hynes Athletic Center, and the new residence hall in the heart of campus, East Hall.
Hynes Athletic Center hosts training centers for the college's Division 1 teams in addition to the 2,611-seat multi-purpose arena which hosts year round activities.
Ryan Library is the major research and studying center of the campus. It was announced in 2005 that the library would go through an extensive modernization process. The renovation included an expanded print collection and larger spaces for students to study and do research. The project was completed in time for the Fall Semester of 2009. The library is a prominent symbol of Iona College along North Ave.
Iona became the first metro-New York college with a completely wireless Internet campus in September 2001.
In 1998 American Campus Communities was awarded the contract to develop, build, and manage a student housing property at Iona College.
Loftus Hall
Iona offers several different housing options for students. Loftus Hall, designed to house first year students only, is a 10-floor building. Each floor has six suites of two bedrooms (a double and a triple), one handicapped room which houses two people, and the RA (resident assistant) room. Loftus features a small computer lab, a kitchen, a laundry room, a quiet meditation room, a study lounge, and a vending lounge/game room.
Conese and South Hall
Conese, formally North, and South Halls are among the newer residence halls and were built in 2005. North and South were originally designed for upperclassmen; since the recent influx of accepted freshmen, Conese Hall has become the second, "unofficial" freshman residence hall. In 2014, Conese Hall was once again made to house only upperclassmen. North and South are identical buildings, and hold fewer people than Loftus. Both buildings have six floors, with four rooms on each floor: one suite of seven and three suites of 10. Each suite has two bathrooms, a small kitchenette, and a common room/living room type arrangement. North Hall was renamed to Conese Hall at Homecoming 2008, October 4, 2008, to acknowledge a $5 million gift to the college from Anna May and Eugene P. Conese.
Rice Hall
Rice Hall, nestled in the quiet back corner of Iona's campus, is primarily a single occupant dorm, though there are rooms for two, three, or four persons. It is the oldest dormitory at Iona, and was originally used to house the Christian Brothers as well as the brothers in training. The building is four floors, with laundry services being provided in the basement. Amenities include a game room, TV lounge, kitchen, computer lab, and gym.
East Hall
East Hall, located in the very center of campus on the site of the previous Walsh Hall (an academic building which housed Iona's Psychology Department), is three stories and holds an estimated 112 residents, accommodating students in a traditional corridor-style setting. There is an elevator in the center lobby area and lounges on both the second and third floors. It has rooms for groups of three and four students with a common bathroom on each wing. Each floor is separated by gender. The first and third floors are designated for female students and the second for males. Among its amenities are wireless Internet, cable television, and telephone lines in each room. The main floor has a kitchen area, a mail room, and laundry facilities. There are three resident assistants (RAs) in the building and one campus minister.
North Avenue Residence Hall
Iona added its sixth on-campus residence hall when the North Avenue Residence Hall opened in August 2016. The upper six floors house more than 300 upperclassman students. Each suite consists of either two double rooms or four single rooms, two bathrooms, a common room, and a kitchenette. The corner of the building, which located opposite the college's main entrance, features open spaces with glass windows that look onto campus and downtown New Rochelle. The ground floor of the building is designed commercial space. Plans for the Sage Café were announced in January 2017.
Eastchester Apartments
Iona also holds several apartments in the Eastchester Apartment Complex, which is located down the block from the campus. Each building in Eastchester has an RA.
Clubs and organizations
There are currently more than 80 active clubs, Greek fraternities and sororities, and media organizations on Campus.
Greek life
Iona College is home to four local sororities and one national sorority. Additionally, Greek Life at Iona also includes one international fraternity, one national fraternity, and one local fraternity.
Athletics
The Iona College Gaels are part of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and participate in seventeen NCAA Division I programs. Other members of the MAAC include Canisius College, Fairfield University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's College, and Siena College.
Notable alumni
Iona has approximately 40,000 living alumni worldwide. In the fields of arts & entertainment, Iona College graduates include: Bud Cort, actor starring in "Harold and Maude" and "MASH"; Terry Finn, Broadway and Hollywood actress; Don McLean; singer/songwriter of renowned songs "American Pie" and "Vincent" also attended Iona Prep; Terence Winch, Irish-American poet and musician; Antonio Broccoli Porto, Italian-Puerto Rican artist, visual artist and sculptor; Joseph G. Ponterotto, psychobiographer and author of Bobby Fischer: Understanding the Genius, Mystery, and Psychological Decline of a World Chess Champion and Donald Spoto, best-selling celebrity biographer.
In the field of business, Iona College graduates include: Linda Bruno, Commissioner of the Skyline Conference; Thomas E. Hales, former CEO and Chairman of U.S.B. Holding Co., Inc.; Vincent A. Gierer, Jr., former Chairman and CEO of UST Inc.; Andy Dolce, Founder, Chairman & Managing Partner of Dolce Hotels and Resorts; Laurence Boschetto, President & CEO of Draftfcb; Ronald DeFeo, retired Chairman & CEO of Terex, currently President and CEO, Kennametal Inc.; Randy Falco, President and CEO of Univision Communications Inc.; Robert Greifeld President & CEO of NASDAQ; James P. Hynes, founder of COLT Telecom Group; Alfred Kelly, former President of American Express and president and CEO of the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee, current CEO of Intersection; Catherine R. Kinney, former President of the New York Stock Exchange; Brian A. Markison, Chairman, President & CEO of King Pharmaceuticals; and Peter R. Scanlon, former Chairman & CEO of Coopers & Lybrand
In the fields of law and government, Iona College graduates include: Robert J. Corcoran, former Arizona Supreme Court Justice; Timothy C. Idoni, Westchester County Clerk, former mayor of New Rochelle, New York; Anthony T. Kane, former New York Supreme Court Justice; Robert J. McGuire, former New York City Police Commissioner & CEO of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency; Kevin Sullivan, former White House Communications Director; and John Sweeney (labor leader), Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient.
In the field of sports, Iona College graduates include: Richie Guerin, six time NBA All-Star, NBA Coach of the Year and Hall of Famer; Jason Motte, 2011 MLB World Champion and Game 7 saving pitcher; and Jeff Ruland, NBA All-Star.
References
External links
- Official website
- Iona Athletics website