A Note from the Dean of Arts & Science
Thanks to everyone for your kind words of encouragement, support, and particularly patience as I have transitioned from the Honors Program to the Dean's Office. I am honored to be serving as Interim Dean. As a faculty member, my primary goal as Interim Dean is to do everything I can to support and serve the students and faculty in the School of Arts and Science. If you have any suggestions or comments I'd appreciate your thoughts.  This week we celebrate the Inauguration of Dr. Joseph E. Nyre as the eighth president of Iona College. There is more information on the events and festivities below and on-line. Faculty who reserved robes for the Inauguration can pick them up in the Deans Office, Murphy Center, 1st floor.

As part of the Inaugural festivities, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Richard Arum (NYU) to campus. Dr. Arum is the co-author of the critically acclaimed Academically Adrift and was featured in Gail Collins op-ed in the New York Times this weekend. We are honored to announce Dr. Arum is serving as Iona's 2011 Rudin Driscoll scholar and we hope you will make every effort to attend his lecture this Friday, October 28, 10 am, Murphy Auditorium. Please let your students know and invite your classes as well (RSVP here: or email Marie Pace, mpace@iona.edu) 

In Memoriam: Dr. Eugene F. Stafford (1942-2010)

On Wednesday, October 12, Computer Science faculty and others from across the college joined Dr. Eugene F. Stafford's (1942-2010) family and friends to dedicate a white dogwood tree in the oval outside Ryan Library in his honor. Gene came to Iona in 1968 and had a long and distinguished career as a respected member of the Computer Science faculty. Gene is survived by his wife Dolores,  his brother, Rev. Joseph Stafford, three children, and five grand-children.

Awards & Achievements

Dr. Elena Procario-Foley, Chair, Religious Studies
Dr. Procario-Foley received the Sapientia et Doctrina Award for service to the renewal of the church. The award was presented to Dr. Procario-Foley at Fordham University on October 21 in the presence of more than three-hundred people, including her husband, Dr. Carl Procario-Foley, Director of Campus Ministries, Iona College, their three children, extended family and several members of the Religious Studies Department (Sr. Kathleen Deignan, Dr. Brian Brown, and Dr. Teresa Delgado).

Dr. Penelope Moore, Chair, Social Work
As a result of her innovative leadership around family health history and community engagement, Genetic Alliance honored Dr. Moore for her work as an innovator during their 25th anniversary celebration.  Dr. Moore's profile was displayed at the National Geographic on September 22nd during their 25th Anniversary Celebration and posted on the Genetic Alliance website.

Dr. Catherine Lavery, Chair, Criminal Justice
On October 15, Dr. Lavery received the Jean-Claude Lovinsky Memorial Award. Dr. Lavery was joined by family, students, and colleagues. During the ceremony former Iona Visiting Clinical Lecturer and current Representative in the NY State Assembly Robert Castelli presented Dr. Lavery with an official citation from the State Assembly for her years of service.

Research Notes

1. George Bournoutian, Professor, History
   Mazda Press (California) announces the publication of Dr. Bournoutian's latest book: The 1823 Russian Survey of the Karabagh Province: A Primary Source on the Demography and Economy of Karabagh in the Early 19th Century.
2. Penelope Moore, Chair & Associate Professor, Social Work & Dr. William Gratzer, Chair & Professor, Mathematics
   Dr. Moore and Dr. Gratzer, co-authored the article, "Iona College Community Centered Family Health History Project: Lessons Learned from Student Focus Groups," which is now accessible  as 'Online First' on SpringerLink
   
3. A. Vincent Ciardiello, Associate Professor, Education
   Published "Talking Walls: Presenting a Case for Social Justice Poetry in Literacy Education," in The Reading Teacher.

Breaking New Ground

1. Dr. Tricia Mulligan, Chair & Associate Professor Political Science
   An expert in comparative government and international relations, has established an important relationship between Iona College and the Cairo based organization Soliya and its Connect program. For this first time this semester, Dr. Mulligan is running a course which provides Iona students with a unique opportunity to engage with students from the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, Europe and the US.
2. Dr. Sunghee Lee, Chair & Associate Professor Chemistry
   Dr. Lee has established a collaborative working relationship with the Department of Geology and Geophysics at Yale University, to facilitate materials investigation and data collection for her active research in soft materials engineering. Iona students will regularly use the Raman-microspectrometer at the Yale facility, and will benefit from exposure to cutting-edge techniques in the field.
3. David Cundy, Lecturer, Clinical Faculty, Mass Communications
   On Wednesday, 12 October, Bradley Jacobs, CEO of XPO Logistics, rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange with Professor Cundy's logo for him as backdrop.

Upcoming Events

Inauguration, October 27-October 29, RSVP

• Thursday, October 27
  
  Gael Inaugural Fest: Spirit and Service, 12:00 p.m.
  Robert V. LaPenta Student Union Square Lot
  
  Inaugural Mass, 4:00 p.m.
  Holy Family Catholic Church
  
  Inaugural Mass Reception, 5:30 p.m.
  Ferdinand E. Arrigoni Center,
  Dr. Catherine O'Callaghan, MC
  
  Hagan School of Business Trading Floor Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony, 6:45 p.m.
  Hagan Hall
  
  Cram the Van
  Donations for military personnel serving in Afghanistan or Iraq,
  Tricia Mulligan
• Friday, October 28
  Rudin Driscoll Lecture Series, 10:00 a.m.
  Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium, Murphy Center
  
  Reception for the Delegates, 11:15 a.m.
  Thomas J. Burke Lounge, Spellman Hall
  Dr. Elena Procario-Foley, MC
  
  Inaugural Ceremony, 1:00 p.m.
  Hynes Athletics Center
  Inaugural Reception, 2:30 p.m.
  Mulcahy Gymnasium, Hynes Athletics Center
  Br. Kevin Devlin, MC
  
  Cram the Van
  Donations for military personnel serving in Afghanistan or Iraq
  Tricia Mulligan
  
  Please Register online if you have not done so already.

"Rapid Evolutionary Change to Toxicants in a Hudson River Fish Population" Thursday, October 27, noon, Romita Auditorium, Ryan Library
This Thursday Dr. Isaac Wirgin of New York University School of Medicine will be giving a seminar entitled "Rapid Evolutionary Change to Toxicants in a Hudson River Fish Population".  This research was recently published in Science and represents the culmination of over a decade of research on Hudson River Atlantic tomcod.  Please announce this to your classes so all interested individuals can attend.

The Matchmaker, October 27-30
Be sure to get your tickets for the Iona College Players production of "The Matchmaker".  Performance dates are: Thursday, October 27 – 8:00 p.m, Friday, October 28 – 8:00 p.m, Saturday, October 29  – 3:00 p.m. , Sunday, October 30 – 3:00 p.m. For tickets, please call 914-633-2360

Thomas G. Bullen, CFC Memorial Lecture Series in Science and Technology, November 3, Noon, Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium, Murphy Center
Dr. David A. Ferrucci, IBM Fellow and Principal Investigator for the Watson/Jeopardy! Project. His lecture is entitled "Building Watson: An Overview of the DeepQA Project." This lecture is part of the ongoing Thomas G. Bullen, CFC Memorial Lecture Series in Science and Technology, 2011-2012 and is funded with a grant from the Josephine Lawrence Hopkins Foundation. The lecture is free and open to the public.

New York Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (NYAMFT), a Division of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Annual Conference, November 5, 8:00 am – 6:30 pm, Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium, Murphy Center
The New York Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (NYAMFT), a Division of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) is holding its Annual Conference at Iona. The featured speaker is Dr. Richard Schwartz, PhD who will present "Internal Family Systems Therapy with Couples".

Reminder

• Submit Book Orders for Spring 2012,
  Iona College Bookstore
  Phone 914-633-2356
  Bookstore Website
  Helpful for Ordering Books

Article of Interest

• "New Digital Tools Let Professors Tailor Their Own Textbooks for Under $20," Chronicle of Higher Education

Stay in Touch

Please send your news, announcements, events, etc. to Barbara Essick bessick@iona.edu & Jeanne Zaino jzaino@iona.edu