Iona College (New York)

Infobox University
name = Iona College


image_size =250px
motto = "Certa bonum certamen"
(Fight the good fight)
established = 1940
type = Private College
president = Br. James A. Liguori CFC, Ed.D
city = New Rochelle
state = NY
country = United States
undergrad = 3,100
postgrad = 891
campus = Suburban, 35 acres (0.14 km²)
colors = Maroon and Gold
nickname = Gaels
mascot = Killigan
website = http://www.iona.edu/
affiliation=Catholic.

Iona College is located in New Rochelle, New York, 20 miles north of Manhattan in suburban Westchester County. The college occupies 35 acres (140,000 m²) on North Ave.

There are 3,000 undergraduates, and total enrollment is 4,800. The College offers BA, BS, BPS, and BBA degrees to undergraduate students. The BA, BS, and BPS degrees require a total of 120 credits for completion; for BBA degrees, a total of 126 credits are required. 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. Iona, currently listed in the US News and World Report's annual "America's Best Colleges 2009" and The Princeton Review's "Best Northeastern Colleges" 2008 edition, 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 post-graduate certificate programs. U.S. News & World Report has ranked Iona College among the best in the nation advancing eight positions this year to rank 30 out of 86 northern institutions in the 2009 edition of U.S. News & World Report America’s Best Colleges guide. [ [http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/items/2737 U.S. News Best Colleges | Iona] ] Iona College is currently updating the appearance of Ryan Library, to be completed in 2009.

Mission Statement

Iona College is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence in the tradition of the Christian Brothers and American Catholic higher education. We commit ourselves to education within the rich heritage of these legacies, especially intellectual inquiry and the values of justice, peace and service. [http://www.iona.edu/about/mission.cfm]

Iona College graduates will be sought after because they will be: [http://www.iona.edu/about/mission.cfm]
* ethical and skilled decision-makers and problem solvers motivated to leadership, service and civic responsibility;
* independent thinkers informed and enriched by a liberal arts education;
* lifelong learners skilled in and adaptable to new information and technologies; and
* individuals who integrate the spiritual, intellectual, civic, emotional and physical dimensions of their lives.The Iona College Community will achieve these goals by dedicated teaching enhanced through creative research and scholarship, internships, career development and by participation of students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni and board members in the many centers of excellence at Iona College. [http://www.iona.edu/about/mission.cfm]

Academics

chool of Arts and Sciences

"The School of Arts & Sciences" is one of the two main schools at Iona College. The current dean is Alexander Eodice, PhD. Many students choose to obtain degrees in mass communications, journalism, education, and psychology. Iona boasts excellent scholars and teachers among the faculty in liberal arts and sciences. Some distinguished faculty at Iona's history department include Br. James T. Carroll, Dr. Michael J. Hughes, Dr. Daniel R. Smith, Dr. Daniel E. Thiery, Dr. George Bournoutian and Dr. Eugene Sheehan.

Hagan School of Business

"The Hagan School of Business" is among the top 30 percent of business schools worldwide, and is one of the nation’s most outstanding business schools, according to The Princeton Reviews “Best 290 Business Schools” (2008 edition). [ [http://www.princetonreview.com/IonaCollegeHaganSchoolofBusiness.aspx?uidbadge=%07 Princeton Review - Iona College: Hagan School of Business] ] Hagan also ranks in BusinessWeek Magazines “Best 140 National Undergraduate Business Schools 2008”. [ [http://www.iona.edu/about/quickfacts.cfm Iona.com] ] The School offers degree programs leading to the Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting, marketing, and management. 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 – International (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accreditation assures that the student is at the core of everything we do.'

Vincent J. Calluzzo, PhD is the current dean at the school.

Accreditations

* Iona College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. [http://www.msche.org/institutions_view.asp?idinstitution=208]
* The Department of Mass Communication is accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism & Mass Communication (ACEJMC). [http://www2.ku.edu/~acejmc/STUDENT/PROGLIST.SHTML]
* The Hagan School of Business is accredited for its Business program by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International). [https://datadirect.aacsb.edu/public/profiles/profile.cfm?runReport=1&unitid=54637&userType=All]
* Iona's Department of Social Work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). [http://www.iona.edu/about/accreditation.cfm]
* The Department of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). [http://www.ncate.org/institutions/stateInstit.asp?ch=106&state=NY]

Campus

Academic lecture halls at Iona College include Murphy Center, McSpedon Hall, Arrigoni Center, Doorley Hall, Cornelia Hall, Walsh Hall, Amend Hall, Ryan Library, and Hagan Hall. The most recent additions to the campus include the newly constructed Robert LaPenta Student Union and the expanded Hynes Athletic Center. It has been announced that there will be a renovation and expansion of the Ryan Library, which will provide an expanded print collection and larger spaces for students to study and do research. The projected completion of this project is Fall 2009. Iona became the first metro-New York college with a completely wireless internet campus in September 2001. [ [http://www.iona.edu/infotech/wirelessannc.cfm Iona.edu] ]

Residence Halls

Loftus Hall

Iona offers several different housing options for students. Loftus Hall, designed to house freshmen 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 weight room, a laundry room, and a quiet meditation room.

Conese and South Hall

Conese, formally North, and South halls are the two newest resident hall buildings. North and South were originally designed for upperclassmen; since the recent influx of accepted freshmen, Conese hall has become the second, "unofficial" freshman dorm. North and South are identical buildings, and hold fewer people than Loftus. Both buildings have six floors, with four rooms on each floor: two suites of seven and two 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 [http://www.iona.edu/news/releases/0809/0721Conese.cfm] .

Rice Hall

Rice Hall is the oldest dormitory structure on campus, and the only dorm actually on the campus (Loftus, Conese, and South are across the street). Rice features single room dorms with communal showers. Rice Hall is home to the Gael Club, a theater like space where many events are held.

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.

Off Campus

After a students sophomore year, the school no longer offers housing, and students are left to their own devices to find and rent apartments and houses. Many students rent houses on Mayflower Ave, Clinton Ave, Chauncey Ave, Brookside Pl, and Coligni Ave. Students also rent apartments from Eastchester Apartment Complex, Avalon on the Sound, and Avalon on the Sound East.

Clubs and Organizations

There are currently 50 active clubs, Greek fraternities and Sororities, and media organizations on Campus. [http://www.iona.edu/studentlife/studentdevelopment/clubs/]

Governing Bodies

There are 5 governing student bodies at Iona: the Student Government Association (SGA), the Gaels Activities Board (GAB), the Council for Greek Governance (CGG), Media Board, and the Student Athletic Advisory Committee. The Gaels Activities Board is responsible for all programming on campus. Recent large scale events include a comedy show featuring D.L. Hughley (2008), a concert featuring Lupe Fiasco and Reina (2007), and other concerts featuring Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray, and Third Eye Blind. In Spring of 2008, SGA started an initiative dubbed the RESPECT campaign, a campaign designed to facilitate good will in the Iona community, as well as the New Rochelle community.

Basketball

On December 27, 2002, the Iona College Men's basketball defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels at Madison Square Garden at a score of 65 - 56. [http://www.iona.edu/gaels/mbasketball/0203/12-27-02.htm] At the time North Carolina was ranked No. 22. [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/college/news/2002/12/27/iona_unc_ap/] In 2008 the No. 1 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels defeated Iona at the score of 107 to 72 at Dean Smith Center [http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=200711180413] Iona's Women's basketball team lost to Marist College in the final round of the 2007 and 2008 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship Tournament.

2005-2006 Men's Basketball Season

In the 2005-2006 Men's basketball season, Iona College finished with a record of 20-7, with a Conference record of 13-5 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/teams/schedule?teamId=314&year=2006] Iona defeated Rider University 80 to 61 to win the 2006 MAAC Championship Tournament which was played in Albany, New York. [http://www.maacsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17400&ATCLID=1060599] Iona College was a 13 seed in the 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The LSU Tigers defeated Iona 80 to 64 in the opening round of play at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.

2006-2007 Men's Basketball Season

Since the success in 2006, the Gaels went on a 22-game losing streak (dating back to last year's NCAA tournament loss) including an exhibition loss to Division III Rhode Island College. This streak ended on February 3rd with a win over Rider University 69-57. Not only did this break their streak, but Iona also became the last Division I team to win a game in 2007.

Facilities

Mazzella Field is home to the Iona football team, which 2007 achieved a 7-4 record; their best in several years. Also home to one of the top men's cross country programs in the country. Mulcahy Campus Events Center is the home of the Men's and Women's basketball teams.

Notable alumni

*John Bonacic, New York State Senator. [http://senatorbonacic.com/42/Biography.aspx]
* Steve Burtt Sr. Iona basketball star from 1980 to 1984 and all-time leading scorer in Iona College history with 2,534 points, who later played in the NBA. His son Steve Burtt, Jr. ('06) is the second all time leading scorer at Iona. The two are the all-time leading father-son scoring duo in NCAA history with a combined 4,568 points.
* Tommy Dreamer, (Real Name: Thomas Laughlin) WWE professional wrestler and former ECW World Heavyweight Champion.
* Randy Falco, chairman and CEO of AOL LLC [http://investing.businessweek.com/businessweek/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=4742593&symbol=TWX]
* John Gilchrist, former child actor known for playing 'Little Mikey' in Life cereal commercials [http://www.mahalo.com/Iona_College]
* Robert Greifeld current president and chief executive officer of NASDAQ [http://investing.businessweek.com/businessweek/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=386465&symbol=NYX]
* Richie Guerin, basketball star who played professionally and coached in the NBA [http://www.spock.com/Richie-Guerin]
* Timothy C. Idoni, Westchester County Clerk, former mayor of New Rochelle, New York [http://www.iona.edu/news/releases/9900/press040700.cfm]
* Warren Isaac, basketball star in 1964 and 1965 who later played professionally in Europe [http://statsheet.com/mcb/drafts/team/iona]
* Catherine R. Kinney, current president and co-chief operating officer of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). [http://www.nyse.com/corpgovernance/1089800283106.html]
* Dennis Leonard, baseball star who later pitched professionally for the Kansas City Royals [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=958]
* Don McLean, singer-songwriter ("American Pie") [http://www.don-mclean.com/aboutdon.asp]
* Antonio Broccoli Porto, Italian-Puerto Rican artist, visual artist and sculptor
* Jeff Ruland, basketball star on 1980 Gaels team that went to the NCAA tournament. He later played professional basketball and returned to coach the Iona team.
* John Sweeney (labor leader), president of the AFL-CIO
* Vito Valentinetti, Major League Baseball Pitcher from 1954 to 1959 with the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox and Washington Senators [http://www.baseball-reference.com/v/valenvi01.shtml]
* John Iaciofano class of 64' President and Ceo of J. L. Lucas Associates, son Luke Iaciofano who is currently a junior partner and is getting his undergraduate at Iona College.

References