Have you ever wondered about the history of Iona College? Below is a history overview and some fun facts.

Iona College was founded in 1940 and just celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2015. The college follows in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers and American Catholic higher education. In terms of historical age, Iona is not that old, but our college certainly has a unique history from the growth of the student body, to the construction of buildings, and down to the visitors on campus.

History of Iona

Iona College opened just before the United States entered World War II in 1941. The name “Iona” comes from a small island off the west coast of Scotland where St. Columba founded an abbey (a building where monks live) in 563. A statue of St. Columba is located on the campus quad in front of the ginkgo tree. Iona’s founders, the Christian Brothers, believed in the power of education to provide new paths of economic and social advancement for its students.

During the wars’ years (1941-1945), Iona nearly closed its doors because of the sparse student population. Many students, as with other colleges, left to serve during the war. Only three members of the inaugural class in 1940 went on to receive degrees in August 1944. After the war, the G.I. Bill, which gave veterans tuition assistance to attend colleges and universities, helped returning veterans come to study at Iona. Ever since, Iona has grown substantially in size of its student population, the buildings on campus and the majors and programs offered for students.

Three historical figures have visited campus. Robert Kennedy delivered a speech in October 1964 on the steps of Spellman Hall to the student body while running for the United States Senate, Muhammad Ali was on campus in 1968, and Mother Teresa was at the college’s 1976 Commencement. There are photographs of Kennedy and Mother Teresa during their visits to campus on the second floor of Ryan Library. In addition, Republican presidential candidate John Kasich hosted a town hall on campus this past April in the Mulcahy Gym.

Then and Now-Campus Buildings

Many of the buildings and land that is now Iona College were formerly owned by Iona Prep.

Cornelia Hall was built in 1940 as a science center for Iona Prep, making it the first building on the campus of Iona College.

Mazzella Field was donated to Iona Prep in 1927, renovated in 1989 and is very different today. Before its renovation, the field held two baseball diamonds, a football field and a quarter-mile track. Today, the field is home to the Varsity men’s and women’s soccer teams, the women’s lacrosse team and club Rugby.

The Murphy Center was built in 1910 and was originally the Mayflower Elementary School. In 1984, the Murphy Center was incorporated by Iona.

Spellman Hall was built in 1960 and was the original Student Union and the site of Iona Commencements from 1944 to 2004. Since 2005, the Robert V. LaPenta Student Union has been home to student activities and organizations.

 Recent History

Iona’s history is continuing to be shaped, which is evident by the construction on campus. Ground broke in May 2015 to build the North Avenue Residence Hall. The residence hall opened in August 2016 and a group of 300-plus students are able to say that they are the first residents of the North Avenue Residence Hall. According to a news release from August 22, 2016, “Iona increased the quality and quantity of residential housing options for students on campus and helped participate in the revitalization of North Avenue, an important New Rochelle thoroughfare.” The North Avenue Residence Hall embodies Iona’s commitment to student life and is the second residence hall to open at Iona within the last four years, following East Hall in the center of campus.

As of press time, the next piece of history on the Iona campus will be the extension of Hagan Hall, Iona’s highly accredited School of Business. From a press release on October 26, 2016, “a state-of-the-art academic building will incorporate part of the existing Hagan Hall while more than doubling the space for classrooms, lectures, and faculty offices.” This project will be the first major construction of an academic building in over two decades.

The expansion of Hagan Hall has been made possible by the largest donation in the college’s history in November 2015, $15 million, by Robert V. LaPenta ’67, ‘00H as part of the college’s $150 million Iona Forever Campaign. Mr. LaPenta’s donation has since been increased to $17.5 million to match the $2.5 million donation raised by alumni from 1975-1995. If all goes according to plan, construction is set to begin in late spring 2016 followed by an 18-month build to have the building ready for the 2018-2019 academic year.