Iona College has seen multiple large renovations to the campus in recent years. The Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation opened on top of Spellman Hall in the fall of 2019. The large glass windows provide students an elevated, picturesque view of campus. Just a few months later, the LaPenta School of Business officially opened in the 2020 spring semester. This new $38 million facility provides students state-of-the-art classrooms, study spaces and a trading floor. Most recently, Iona announced the Murphy Green, a new lawn complete with benches, walkways and trees. The project is currently under construction in the former parking lot of the LaPenta Student Union and is slated to open in the spring of 2022.  

Amid these renovations, another big change is the addition of Iona’s new campus in Bronxville. The 28-acre campus, formerly owned by Concordia College, is set to be the home of Iona’s new school of health sciences in partnership with New York-Presbyterian Hospital. The existing facilities will be renovated not only for academic use, but also for performing arts, athletics and other extracurricular activities. 

Inspired by all of these changes to the campus, students are considering what other improvements they would like to see at Iona.  

Some students, such as junior Samantha Guardino, would like to see changes to the food locations. 

“I think having more of the small food vending stations, like the one in LaPenta School Business, would be a great addition to the school,” Guardino said. “Having one in the Murphy Center, since it is on the other side of campus, as well as LaPenta Student Union, the only building open 24/7, would create more options for students to choose from during the hours when the dining halls are not open.” 

Junior Faith Rosenhagen wants more seating options outdoors. 

“When the weather is nice, sitting outside at a table is so relaxing to do homework,” Rosenhagen said. “The Adirondack chairs were a great addition but creating more areas with tables would be wonderful.” 

Other changes to the campus might not only benefit students, but it could also have a greater effect on the earth. Junior Aidan Connolly thinks Iona should make improvements that help fight against climate change. 

“[Iona could] implement ways to drive our electrical output by having solar panels or maybe making sure that all residential halls have water fountains to promote students using reusable bottles instead of plastic bottles. [Iona could also] potentially have more deliberate recycling bins and signs around campus.”