Anticipation filled the air on the campus of Iona College as the night of Nov. 20 approached. That night featured the first men’s basketball home game of the season. The Gaels, picked as the preseason favorites in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, were scheduled to face off against the Delaware Blue Hens in what looked to be a compelling matchup.
However, the excitement on campus did not center on the game. It surrounded an event that took place before tipoff.
The College announced that a major event would take place earlier in the evening. Publicity for the event billed it as providing the attendees with the opportunity to be a part of Iona history.
Crowds began to form hours before the ceremony was set to begin. With the parking spaces in front of Hagan Hall lined with a red carpet and special maroon and gold lights illuminating Hagan, the scene appeared to be out of a movie.
President Dr. Joseph E. Nyre, Chairman of the Board of Trustees James Hynes, benefactor Robert V. LaPenta and Student Government Association President Tommy Severin took the stage on the steps of Hagan to speak.
They announced that LaPenta donated the largest gift in Iona history – $15 million – to fund the renovation of Hagan. The building will be redesigned and is scheduled to triple in size.
This plan for an expanded Hagan marks the most recent development to Iona’s 45-acre campus. The College has drastically changed since it began in 1940.
LaPenta has a history of making significant changes to the campus. He funded the building of the student union. He also contributed to the renovations in Ryan Library and the construction of the trading floor in the business school.
“Robert LaPenta’s continued support is helping Iona College grow and develop,” Severin said. “From the student union to this new expansion of our business school, LaPenta’s generosity is allowing the College to meet the needs of our students. It’s thanks to alumni like Robert LaPenta that Iona will be able to continue offering an amazing college experience to its students.”
LaPenta was not the only one on the stage that night to donate funds for a building makeover.
Hynes funded the renovation and expansion of the athletics center. Originally a building with a gym, pool and a handful of offices, the athletics center now features an additional gym, cardio and weight rooms, several offices and a rowing tank. Iona is one of six schools on the east coast to have a rowing tank. The other five are all in the Ivy League.
The outdoor athletics facilities have changed over time as well. Mazzella Field, located in the middle of campus, had football lines until the College canceled the program in 2008. The field is home to the soccer, lacrosse and rugby teams.
Rice Oval, tucked away in the northeastern-most corner of campus, used to be a grassy plain but now consists of a turf outfield with a dirt infield to become the home of the softball team.
As the campus has changed physically through the years, certain elements remain a part of the College.
Despite all the renovations, additions and new buildings on the campus, Iona maintains a fair amount of green space. The main road through campus is lined with trees. A quad in the center of the main academic and administrative buildings provides a space to relax. This space includes a gingko tree, which has become a staple of the campus.
“We have a beautiful campus,” Director of the Libraries Rick Palladino said. “It’s more than that. It’s the faculty; it’s the different administrators and staff. The people that feel that this is some sort of a real community. That enhances the experience; there’s a goodness to it.”
The College, celebrating its 75th anniversary, is known to be a place where the people make worthwhile connections with one another. Iona’s 45-acre campus enables it to have a small-community feel. The 15-1 student-faculty ratio enables students the opportunity to connect with their professors, according to iona.edu.
“Iona is a place where the professors know your name,” said Dr. Jack Breslin, a Mass Communication professor for the past 15 years. “You meet people outside of your program. Iona offers such a diverse enrichment to the classroom experience – from the professional, to the cultural, to the career building, to sporting events and plays and things – that makes it such an attractive campus.”