Members of the Iona College community gathered Oct. 14 at 748 North Avenue for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

The institute was established after the record-setting $15 million gift from James and Anne Marie Hynes. James Hynes could not attend the ceremony; however, Anne Marie Hynes was present, along with their daughters, Katie and Alanna, and grandson Jack.

Dr. Joseph E. Nyre, who is currently on sabbatical, flew back from Paris to attend the ceremony.

“I came here because I believe what we’re recognizing today is truly an innovation that will certainly elevate the lives of our students and forever increase the providence and the academic profile of our college,” Nyre said.

Nyre discussed how it is often said that colleges are made great by great people, and that the Hynes family strengthens Iona through their time, leadership, wisdom and financial support.

Anne Marie Hynes served on a design team for the institute, touring the nation to study the best programs before she and her husband decided to fund the Hynes Institute, according to Nyre.

Once the plans for the institute were developed, Iona hired Dr. Christoph Winkler as the founding director and endowed professor of the Hynes Institute.

Winkler, who has been at Iona since August, said that he can already feel the sense of community at Iona, and the excitement surrounding the new Hynes Institute.

“Today is a celebration, an important milestone for Iona College and the Hynes Institute,” Winkler said. “This space isn’t only going to become the future creative space for our students and our community, but also a place where Iona students are able to transmit passions into ideas and ideas into actions.”

The program will expose students to new ways of thinking to make them more self-reliant and confident in decision-making, according to Anne Marie Hynes.

“We’re delighted to be here to launch the first visual manifestation of the Hynes Institute,” she said. “The idea behind the institute was to introduce the elements of the entrepreneur spirit, both the entrepreneurial mindset, and the associative problem-solving strategies that are built into the curriculum of the entire undergraduate program here at Iona.”

Before the ribbon cutting took place, Winkler welcomed Br. Dennis Gunn and Fr. Francis Dixon for the invocation and blessing of the Hynes Institute.

Nyre, Winkler, Anne Marie, Katie, Alanna and Jack Hynes stood on stage and cut the ribbon to officially open the Hynes Institute. Nyre presented the Hynes family with a pair of ceremonial ribbon-cutting scissors, engraved with “Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.” He also gave Jack, the newest member of the Hynes family, an Iona College onesie.

After the ribbon cutting, Winkler introduced Gareth Miles, who facilitated the “Idea Hackathon” earlier in the day. Miles is a partner at The Rise Group, a business consulting and leadership development company.

Over 70 students participated in the Hackathon, where their challenge was to figure out a way to make the Hynes Institute world famous for its impact on students, according to Winkler. The teams were formed randomly, so most team members did not have experience working with one another.

Mentors led students on a series of training exercises, where they were taught about how to respond to new thinking in a way that helps ideas grow and how to select and identify great ideas, according to Miles.

“Really, what we had them focus on was a challenge that allowed them to have some ownership in how this center evolves,” Miles said.

The Idea Hackathon judges—Winkler, Anne Marie Hynes, Alanna Hynes and Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Vincent Calluzzo—selected three teams as finalists earlier in the day. The finalists had 90 seconds to share their ideas with the audience at the ceremony. The judges ultimately chose the team that presented the idea of an international idea Hackathon, similar to the one held at Iona but on a much larger scale. Their idea was chosen because it seemed the most realistic, and something that could be done as soon as this spring, according to Anne Marie Hynes. Members of the winning team each received iPads.

Senior Melissa Gulia, a member of the winning team, said she is excited to be a part of implementing her team’s idea this spring.

“It’s really amazing because entrepreneurship is something I’ve always been interested in, so it’s been a really cool experience to be thrown into something with a team you don’t really know and to do something like this,” Gulia said. “I really enjoyed it, I got to know my team really well and it’s been a great opportunity because I’ve learned what I’m capable of.”