Iona Holds State of the College Meetings for Faculty, Staff, Administrators

New Rochelle, NY (February 14, 2013) In an effort to improve communication within the Iona College community, members of the faculty, staff and administration gathered on Tuesday for State of the College Meetings led by President Joseph E. Nyre, Ph.D., and members of senior leadership. The forum was developed to inform the campus community about the State of the College and provide opportunity for a robust dialog and questions and answers for those in attendance. A similar meeting is scheduled for students on March 21.

 “We all must work to improve our communication, to demonstrate transparency, and benefit from shared governance, the collective intellect of the College,” said President Nyre.  The growing momentum of improving affordability and demonstrating value has informed the strategic planning process. Results include limiting tuition increases, decreasing college expenses, partnering with two-year institutions, increasing the speed of degree attainment, and increasing scholarships.

Dr. Nyre commended the College Budget Committee’s recommendation to keep tuition increases to the lowest level in a decade while simultaneously increasing scholarship funding to the highest level in the history of the College. “Continuing students will benefit from the lowest aggregate increase in a decade and for the first time in recorded Iona history, incoming fall 2013 freshman will pay less to attend Iona than the class before them,” said President Nyre. “Together we will overcome our challenges and elevate our greatness, by upholding our legacy and defining our future.”

To date, some key accomplishments of the Strategic Plan include: the launch of the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning, new graduate and certificate programs, new student success programs, and expanding learning communities.

Additional highlights from the meetings included the announcement of this year’s recipients of the 2013 Brother Timothy Bray Staff and Administrator of the Year Awards: Maureen Bock, Information Technology; Andy Albrecht, Facilities, Grounds Manager; and Sue Romagnoli, Mission and Ministry, Assistant Office Manager.  Awards    

Further topics of discussion included reports from Joseph Wycoff, Ph.D., director of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning, “This is a brand new office for the college that will help Iona to make data-driven decisions and increase effectiveness in planning,” said Dr. Wycoff.

Provost Nickerson provided an update on the submission of the Middle States self-report and a subsequent timeline for next steps. “My thanks to everyone who has worked tirelessly in preparation of the Middle States self report document. The Middle States site visit is scheduled for March 24-27 with the site team report delivered in May,” said Provost Nickerson.  Dr. Nickerson also welcomed Dr. Sibas Ghosh, the new Dean of Arts and Science, who will be visiting campus this week before his official start on April 2.

Jonathan Ivec, senior vice president for finance and administration presented a summary of the financial stability of the College and reviewed the campus master plan. “Iona’s balance sheet is healthy and improving. We have increased the financial aid budget from $38.6 million to $41.0 million,” said Mr. Ivec.

Christine Bell, interim assistant vice president for college admissions, expressed thanks to everyone who has supported and assisted her team with achieving the strategic enrollment management goals including but not limited to messaging, customer service and operational efficiency yield. “We will use assessments and data-driven information to drive decisions. Iona Admissions will continue to focus further on serving our students and building relationships,” said Ms. Bell.

Paul J. Sutera, senior vice president for advancement and external affairs, shared updates on the branding process and a planned comprehensive campaign that supports the strategic plan goals focused on student and academic distinction, the Iona experience, infrastructure, resources and communicating the Iona story. “This new campaign is not just funding for infrastructure, but funding for scholarships and funding for endowed faculty,” said Mr. Sutera. “In January, the BOT approved moving forward with the largest comprehensive campaign in Iona College’s history.”

Founded in 1940, Iona College is a four-year private, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers and American Catholic higher education. It is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona offers undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science, and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs.

For questions or more information please contact:
Dawn Insanalli
Public Relations Office
Iona College, 715 North Avenue, New Rochelle, N.Y. 10801
Office: (914) 637-2726
Fax: (914) 637-2711
dinsanalli@iona.edu