Campus News
Week of the Peacemaker Offers Lectures, Presentations
The Week of the Peacemaker officially gets underway Thursday, November 8, beginning with a “Green Fair” at noon in The End Zone in Robert V. LaPenta Student Union, featuring live music, exhibits and food. Organizers hope the Week’s theme, SOS for Planet Earth: Calling for a Just and Sustainable World, will create a platform for long-term change. Teresa Delgado, PhD, Religious Studies and co-chair of the Week, said “it provides our community with the opportunity for concentrated and intentional dialogue on a subject of immense import, locally and globally. Maintaining our environment in a just and sustainable manner desperately requires the wisdom and energy of both theory and practice, emphasized this week and carried through our entire academic year.” To that end, organizers scheduled theme-related speakers in advance of the Week’s beginning: the next will be Richard Lindzen, PhD, of MIT, speaking Thursday, October 25 at noon in The Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium (Murphy Center), providing his “Analysis of Global Warming,” and Rabbi Lawrence Troster will speak Tuesday, November 6 about “Green Faith: Spirit, Justice and Stewardship of the Earth,” at 7:30 pm in Spellman Lounge. Highlights of the Week include a Habitat for Humanity-sponsored “Building Green Conference,” 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, Friday, November 9, Spellman Lounge, a teach-in from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, featuring Iona faculty on Wednesday, November 14, also in Spellman Lounge (see details in bulletin board, and a lecture by Michael Oppenheimer, PhD, Princeton University, on “Global Warming, Sea Level Rise, and the Future of Earth’s Ice Sheets,” noon, Thursday, November 15, in The Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium.
Driscoll Professorship Hosts Jewish-Christian Academic Council
Iona College hosted the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations, a primarily national group of 27 academic centers, with a handful of international members. Elena Procario-Foley, PhD, Religious Studies and the Br. John G. Driscoll Professor of Jewish-Catholic Studies, serves as chair for the Council this year and host for the meeting, which featured public lectures by noteworthy scholars Yehezkel Landau, MTS, Hartford (CT) Seminary; and Richard Lux, PhD, Sacred Heart School of Theology, Milwaukee, WI. More in Spotlight.
Did You Know?
The bookstore offers a 20 percent discount to Iona faculty, staff and administrators. Use it to dress your friends and family in Iona gear or pick up some leisure reading. Just show your Iona ID at checkout.
Activities and Events
Special events
Community Interest
Homecoming and Family Weekend
Bring your family and friends to Homecoming and Family Weekend 2007! Friday, October 26 – Sunday, October 28. Highlights include a carnival, a community fair expo and food tasting, football: the Gaels vs. Duquesne, the Goal Club's Sixth Annual Clam Slam, and much more. Visit the website for more information.
One-Credit Library Research Course Offered
Do you know students who need assistance finding, evaluating and citing quality books, articles, and other information sources for their research? Tell them about CDS 1161 WC, "Library Information Systems," an in-depth research course which meets6:30 - 10:30 pm Friday, November 2, and 8:45 am - 5:30 pm Saturday, November 3. Students may register through Friday, November 2. Contact librarian instructors Adrienne Franco, ext. 2348 or Callie Bergeris, ext. 2227, for more information.
Free Flu Shots Available
Human Resources and Health Services are providing free flu shots for all faculty, staff and administrators. Quantities of the vaccine are limited, and appointments are required. Call Health Services, ext. 2548, to schedule your appointment between the hours of 10:00 am and 3:00 pm in the Wellness Center, Wednesday, October 24; Thursday, October 25; Tuesday, October 30; Wednesday, October 31; and Thursday, November 1. Bring your Iona ID card to your appointment. If these dates are not convenient, Health Services will try to accommodate you when you call.
Human Resources Benefits Fair
The Iona College Human Resources Benefits Fair will take place Wednesday, November 7 in Spellman Hall. All full-time faculty, staff and administrators are invited to stop in between 9:30 am and 2:30 pm. Representatives from Empire BlueCross BlueShield, HIP Health Insurance, Advanced Benefit Strategies, TIAA-CREF, Aetna Dental, First Reliance, The Academic Federal Credit Union, Metropolitan Life and Upromise Investments, Inc. will be on hand to answer questions and provide information regarding Iona College benefits. Also on this date, the annual open enrollment period will begin for full-time employees interested in joining the Flexible Benefit plans, the Empire BlueCross BlueShield medical plan, the HIP Health Insurance medical plan, the Aetna dental plan, or the First Reliance Supplemental Life Insurance plan. The open enrollment period will continue through Monday, December 10. Full-time employees opting for coverage before December 10 will be enrolled as of January 1, 2008. Be sure to stop by the benefits fair, where there will be refreshments, raffle prizes and giveaways donated by insurance vendors and Iona departments. Please call Rosemary Bartolomeo, ext. 2049, for additional information.
Moderators Needed
Campus Ministries' Iona in Mission program seeks moderators for its upcoming winter, spring and summer mission trips. Share students’ active commitment to the Iona’s mission of service, while working on Nazareth Farm in West Virginia, building a house with Habitat for Humanity or learning about border issues, to name a few. For a complete list of the trips and more information please contact: Tiffany DiNome, Iona in Mission coordinator, ext. 2340.
Fall 2007 CELTIC Workshops
Need to learn the basics—or the advanced features—of Blackboard? Do you know how to podcast your lectures or make your PowerPoint powerful? CELTIC workshops can teach you that and more. The workshops take place in the Celtic Training Lab (unless otherwise noted) which is located in the east wing of Ryan Library. Each workshop is 45 minutes in duration. Please call CELTIC, ext. 2146, to register for one or many, or if you have questions. Registration is not required, as all scheduled workshops will be held, but it will guarantee you a place.
Bibles Needed
The Christian Brothers serving in Dominica are requesting the donation of used Bibles and theological works that will be utilized for the training of deacons and pastoral ministers. Donations can be dropped off at the Campus Ministries Office, on the second floor of the LaPenta Student Union. For more information, contact Br. Ed Pigott.
Plugged in
The Lecture Circuit
Lindzen
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Oppenheimer
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Thomas G. Bullen, CFC Lecture Series in Science and Technology
Thursday, October 25, noon, Richard S. Lindzen, PhD, MIT’s Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meterology, will deliver his lecture, “Analysis of Global Warming.” On Thursday, November 15, noon, during the Week of the Peacemaker, Michael Oppenheimer, PhD, of Princeton will discuss “Global Warming, Sea Level Rise, and the Future of Earth's Ice Sheets.” Both events are held in The Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium in Murphy Center and are made possible by a grant from the Joseph Lawrence Hopkins Foundation. |
LIRIC Lectures: The Roaring Twenties
LIRIC invites all members of the Iona community to join us on Fridays at 1:00 pm in The Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium to celebrate the Roaring Twenties! On Friday, October 26, Paul O’Connell, PhD, Criminal Justice, will present “Crime and Punishment in the Twenties.”
Lecture: Green Faith: Spirit, Justice and Stewardship of the Earth
Join the John J. Driscoll Professorship in Jewish-Catholic Studies, the Iona Spirituality Institute and Rabbi Lawrence Troster, Jewish chaplain, Bard College, Tuesday, November 6, 7:30 pm, to explore the spiritual dimensions of the ecological crisis. Spellman Lounge. Admission is free.
Berry |
Worcelo |
Lecture: Radical Awakening in the Ecological Age
Historian and geologist Thomas Berry and Sr. Gail Worcelo present this topic on Tuesday, November 13, 7:30 pm, in the LaPenta Student Union, End Zone. Sponsored by Iona Spirituality Institute. Admission, $10; free to students. |
Week of the Peacemaker: Faculty Teach-In
Commences at 9:00 am, Wednesday, November 14. Iona faculty will conduct a teach-in exploring multiple approaches to the Week’s theme, SOS for Planet Earth: Calling for a Just and Sustainable World. See Bulletin Board for specific information.
The Driscoll Lecture in Jewish Catholic Studies: Violence, Culture and Assimilation: Jews and Christians in Medieval Spain
Viewing violence as a cultural practice, this lecture compares conflict and violence within Christian and Jewish societies to shed light on Jewish acculturation to the wider Christian milieu and to offer a new perspective on why Jewish converts and their descendants assimilated into Christian society. Mark Meyerson, PhD, of the University of Toronto is the featured speaker. Thursday, November 29, 7:30 pm, Spellman Lounge. Contact Elena Procario-Foley, PhD, ext. 2744, for more information.
Canvases, Clarinets, Costumes
Arts Central
Art Exhibit: Face to Face: Two Approaches
Established artists Ann Dillen, OSU and Connie Freid combine their talents in an exhibition that features their favored media to explore the human face and form. This exhibit continues through Thursday, December 6 during gallery hours. Br. Kenneth Chapman Gallery, Iona College Arts Center.
Workshops and Concert: Sharon Katz Peace Train
Sharon Katz and the Peace Train, the award-winning, globally recognized Afro-Pop Fusion Band designated by Nelson Mandela as South Africa’s cultural ambassadors, is coming to Iona, Wednesday, October 24. The band will hold lectures and dance workshops from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm in honor of United Nations Day, and will perform at 7:00 pm in The Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium, Murphy Center. Free admission; open seating.
Theatre Production: The Groom Said No
The Iona Players present this comedy during Homecoming and Family Weekend about a service member who comes home after two years in the Navy to find his mother and the daughter of his mother’s best friend planning his wedding. Thursday – Saturday, October 25 – 27, 8:00 pm; Sunday, October 26,1:00 pm; Doorley Auditorium. Admission: $7 general, $5 students, senior citizens.
Concert: Westchester Chamber Orchestra
Led by founder and artistic director Barry Charles Hoffman, the WCO will perform Mozart’s Symphony No. 31 in D Major, K. 297 (“ Paris”) and Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622, Chris Cullen, clarinet soloist, and Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 in B flat Major, D. 485, Saturday, November 3, 8:00 pm, The Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium, Murphy Center. Admission: $35 general; $30 senior citizens; $15 students (free to full-time Iona students). Contact Madalyn Barbero Jordan for more information or possible comp tickets.
Dance Performance: History of Hip Hop
This lecture/demonstration, moderated by members of Rennie Harris Puremovement, will describe the African-American traditions of the past while presenting current displays of hip hop dance theatre. Thursday, November 8, noon, The Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium, Murphy Center. Admission is free; open seating. (Photo credit: Robert Day)
Reading: A Gathering of Iona Poets
Poets Terence Winch ’67, Angelo Verga ’67 and Bill Nevins ’69 will read selections from their poetry Friday, November 16, 4:00 pm, in The End Zone, LaPenta Student Union. A reception will follow the reading; this event is free and open to the public.
Theatre Production: Of Mice and Men
The Fine and Performing Arts Department presents this John Steinbeck classic, directed by Thomas Donnarumma. Thursday – Saturday, November 29 – December 1, 7:00 pm; Sunday, December 2, 1:00 pm; Thursday – Saturday, December 6 – 8, 7:00 pm; Sunday, December 9, 1:00 pm; Doorley Auditorium. Admission: $10 general, $5 students, free to Iona faculty, staff and administrators.
Professional Activities
A student team in Business Policy and Strategy (BUS470A) taught by Jeffrey Alstete, EdD, Management and Business Administration, has earned a Top 25 global ranking for their performance in the GLO-BUS capstone business simulation for the past four weeks during the fall semester. GLO-BUS is a completely online global simulation published by McGraw-Hill/Irwin where the focus is on competitive strategy. Teams of students run a digital camera company in head-to-head competition against companies run by other class members. Company operations parallel those of actual digital camera companies.
Just as in the real-world, companies compete in a global market arena, selling digital cameras in four geographic regions—Europe-Africa, North America, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. The teams compete and are evaluated on performance criteria such as ROE, EPS, and stock price. The Iona team (H Pix Company) currently has an overall game-to-date score of 108.5, which is the seventh best overall game-to-date score performance of the week, worldwide! Other colleges and universities in the Top 25 this week include Gallaudet University, University of Maryland, University of North Carolina, Pace University, Pittsburg State University, York College, and others. Over 1600 student teams at about 100 colleges and universities are using GLO-BUS this fall. The simulation will continue through the fall semester.
Paul Beaudin, PD, Education, was the keynote speaker for the Catholic elementary school teachers of the Diocese of Paterson on October 5. Beaudin spoke on the essential elements of schools which desire to be real learning communities.
Lisa J. Evered, PhD, Mathematics, has been informed that her article, "Having Fun with Cryptarithms and Alphametics," garnered the interest of other publications when it appeared in the fall 2006 issue of the New York State MathematicsTeachers' Journal. Other journals have requested permission to reprint it, and the first reprinting has appeared in the fall 2007 issue of Virginia Mathematics Teacher.
On September 12, Jeffry Haber, PhD, Accounting, was part of a panel discussing alternative investments at the Foundation and Endowments Investment Summit in Hot Springs, VA. On October 3, Dr Haber presented a paper, "Optimal Spending in a Private Foundation Given Known Parameters," at the International Business and Economy Research Conference in Las Vegas, NV. Dr. Haber's paper, "Charities and Terrorist Financing: What Do I Need to Know?" was accepted for publication in The CPA Journal. Dr. Haber and Andrew Braunstein, PhD, Finance had their paper, "Earnings Quality Ratings and Corporate Governance: Do Companies With Good Governance Have Financial Statements That Better Reflect Reality?" accepted for publication by the Journal of International Business and Economy.
James Stillwaggon, PhD, Education will present "Submitting to Liberation: 'The Corn is Green' and Anti-Oppressive Pedagogy" with David Jelinek of the Pratt Institute at the Association for Moral Education annual meeting Friday, November 16.
Spotlight: Driscoll Professorship Hosts Council of Centers for Christian-Jewish Relations
Academics Present Unusual Perspective on Israel/Palestine Question
Iona College hosted the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations, a primarily national group of 27 academic centers, with a handful of international members. Elena Procario-Foley, PhD, Religious Studies and the Br. John G. Driscoll Professor of Jewish-Catholic Studies, serves as chair for the Council this year and host for the meeting, which featured public lectures by noteworthy scholars Yehezkel Landau, MTS, Hartford (CT) Seminary; and Richard Lux, PhD, Sacred Heart School of Theology, Milwaukee, WI.
Speaking about the land of Israel from Jewish and Catholic theological positions, respectively, Landau and Lux offered rare insight into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict’s options for solutions. Characterizing his position as a “religious Zionist peace perspective,” Landau explained he uses a four-tiered approach to biblical analysis, coming up with a much more nuanced perspective than is evident today in modern discussions about to whom Israel belongs. While undeniably “affirming a covenantal link between the people and the land of Israel,” Landau asked, “does that privilege Jews to possess the land, or in practical terms, how can the Jews share the land?”
Texts must be examined on a literal level and on a much more nuanced level that takes paradoxes into account, and understanding must be gleaned on those bases, said Landau. Literally, certain aspects of the Torah “relate concretely to the land of Israel.” He points to commands regarding allowing the land a period of fallowness every seven years. “We [Jews] have a deep primal connection to the land; it is our natural habitat.” However, warns Landau, there is a danger in taking the text too literally, as West Bank settlers have done. “When the land becomes an end in itself, it is sin, idolatry.” Instead, Jews “ought to understand chosenness and election as distinctive, but not exclusive,” argues Landau, and realize “the peoples belong to the land, rather than the land belonging to the people,” as God establishes in Leviticus 25:23 and Exodus 19:5-6. Instead, using a “redemptive midrash” that allows all the “suffering servant peoples” of Israel—Jews, Palestinians and Armenians—to live together in harmony, Landau argues that people who live in the land of Israel do so “on probation.” Scripture calls them to live lives of justice and compassion toward others, he said, citing Isaiah 1:27. “ “I see the land as a divinely chosen laboratory for consecration by its inhabitants, primarily through acts of justice and loving kindness,” said Landau.
Lux approached the issue differently, offering a distinctly Catholic interpretation of the Scriptures, noting that Christianity has often been“driven by doctrinal correctness.” With that in mind, he added, “God’s covenant with Israel has never been revoked,” but while the land is of primary importance and “foremost among the promises of God” to Abraham’s progeny, the “land [of Israel] is not of central importance in Christian writings.”
Clearly, the land is the inheritance of the Jewish people, said Lux, but it was not an unconditional inheritance. Scripture makes it clear that their behavior on the land would allow them to stay—or force them into exile. Clearly, said Lux, Scripture and history reinforces this dynamic, most dramatically with the “dry bones” passage of Ezekiel 37, where Israel is promised a return to the land after a long period of exile. While carefully acknowledging complex multiple claims on the land called Israel or Palestine, Lux firmly rejected all Christian supersessionist claims.
Though coming from different religious perspectives and theological positions, both Lux and Landau made it clear that Scripture dictates living lives of justice and compassion are demanded of those inhabiting His holy land. After the group took a dinner break, they reconvened with a discussion panel, featuring Rosann Catalano, The Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies;
Gary Greenebaum, American Jewish Committee; and Peter Pettit, Muhlenberg College to further explore the subject.
Bulletin Board: Events for Faculty, Staff and Administrators
Wednesday, October 24
Concert: Sharon Katz Peace Train
7:00 pm – The Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium, Murphy Center
Thursday, October 25
Lecture: “Analysis of Global Warming”
Noon – The Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium, Murphy Center
Theatre Performance: The Groom Said No
8:00 pm – Doorley Auditorium
Friday, October 26
LIRIC Lecture: “Crime and Punishment in the Twenties”
1:00 pm – The Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium
Homecoming and Family Weekend 2007 begins
Click here for details.
Theatre Performance: The Groom Said No
8:00 pm – Doorley Auditorium
Saturday, October 27
Homecoming and Family Weekend 2007 continues
Click here for details.
Visions of Excellence: The Campaign for Iona's Library Groundbreaking Event
4:30 pm (after the Homecoming Game) – Memorial Park
Theatre Performance: The Groom Said No
8:00 pm – Doorley Auditorium
Sunday, October 28
Homecoming and Family Weekend 2007 concludes
Click here for details.
Theatre Performance: The Groom Said No
1:00 pm – Doorley Auditorium
Thursday, November 1
Mass: Feast of All Saints
Noon – St. Mary's Chapel
MBA Chapter Event featuring speaker Al Kelly '80, '81MBA, president, American Express
6:30 pm - Spellman Hall
Saturday, November 3
Concert: Westchester Chamber Orchestra
8:00 pm – The Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium, Murphy Center
Monday, November 4
Undergrad Open House
11:00 am - 3:00 pm - Hynes Athletics Center
10:00 am - Mass, Arrigoni Center
Tuesday, November 6
And It’s Only Tuesday Lecture/Discussion: “Will 2008 Be the Year?”
2:00 pm – Faculty Dining Room, Spellman Hall
Lecture: “Green Faith: Spirit, Justice and Stewardship of the Earth”
7:30 pm – Spellman Lounge
Wednesday, November 7
Professional Studies Program & Graduate Programs Information Sessions
6:00 pm - LaPenta Student Union
Thursday, November 8
Dance Performance: “The History of Hip Hop”
Noon – The Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium, Murphy Center
Executive for A Day Lecture: “Marketing and the Current Media Landscape,” featuring William Cella '73, chairman and CEO, MAGNA Global Worldwide; vice chairman, Draft FCB
Noon - Spellman Lounge
Graduate Programs Information Sessions
6:00 pm - Rockland Graduate Center
Week of the Peacemaker begins
Friday, November 9
Building Green Conference
9:00 am – 1:00 pm – Spellman Hall Lounge
Monday, November 12
Veterans Day
College Closed
Tuesday, November 13
Lecture: “Radical Awakening in an Ecological Age”
7:30 pm – The End Zone, Robert V. LaPenta Student Union
Wednesday, November 14
Week of the Peacemaker Faculty Teach-in
9:00 am – 4:00 pm – Spellman Hall Lounge
9:00 am – “From Anthropocentricity to Diversity: Thoughts on the Shifting of Our Leading Cultural Constructions,” Alex Delfini, PhD, Philosophy
10:00 am – “The Implications of Climate Change on Achieving the United Nations’ Millenium Development Goals,” Will Tower, class of 2008
11:00 am – “Advertising and the Environment: Consuming Your Way to a Better Planet,” Tony Kelso, PhD, Mass Communication
1:00 pm – “Buyer Be Fair: Promoting Social Justice and Environmental Sustainability in the Marketplace,” Nada Khader, executive director of WESPAC
2:00 pm – “The Science Behind Carbon Dioxide and Global Warming,” Robert Novak, CFC, PhD, Physics
3:00 pm – “A Guilt-Free Way to Embrace Environmental Sustenance,” Vincent Maher, JD, Health Care
Student Debate
6:30 pm – Ryan Library Lecture Hall
Green Coffee House with musicians Matt Turk and Fred Gillen, Jr.
9:00 pm – The End Zone, Robert V. LaPenta Student Union
Thursday, November 15
Lecture: “Global Warming, Sea Level Rise, and the Future of Earth’s Ice Sheets”
Noon – The Christopher J. Murphy Auditorium, Murphy Center
Friday, November 16
Reading: A Gathering of Iona Poets
4:00 pm – The End Zone, Robert V. LaPenta Student Union
Tuesday, November 27
Lecture: “Mindfulness and the Ecological Crisis: Thich Nhat Hanh’s Wisdom for Healing the Earth” (Admission: $10)
7:00 pm – Arrigoni Center
Thursday, November 29
Theatre Production: Of Mice and Men
7:00 pm – Doorley Auditorium
Lecture: “Violence, Culture and Assimilation: Jews and Christians in Medieval Spain”
7:30 pm – Spellman Lounge
Friday, November 30
Theatre Production: Of Mice and Men
7:00 pm – Doorley Auditorium
For Athletics events, see the Athletics website.
Inside Iona is written and edited by Amy Coppe, Advancement, (914) 637-2783 || Online Submission Form
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