Gabelli Center for Teaching & Learning
Three Years of Innovation and Collaboration
As the Gabelli Center for Teaching & Learning (GCTL) enters its third year, it continues its work as a vibrant hub of innovation, collaborative inquiry and thought leadership at Iona University. Thanks to the vision and continued generosity of Marc Gabelli and the EMG Madonna Foundation, the GCTL has become a force both on the Iona campus and, through its AI@Iona Outreach efforts, in schools and districts in the surrounding area.
Through the Gabelli Center and its initiatives, Iona is shaping the future of transformative education while remaining anchored to our core values.
Leading the Way in Teaching Innovation
The GCTL empowers Iona faculty to explore critical themes in contemporary education through fellowships, workshops, and symposia—fostering mission-based pedagogical advances that are presented at GCTL-sponsored conferences.
I believe Iona is in a leadership position to host these critical conversations around AI and our human values.
Collaborative Inquiry
Throughout the year, the GCTL sponsors workshops, seminars, and speaker series drawing on Iona’s internal pool of talent as well as outside resources to foster collab orative inquity into the instructional and institutional issues that make 21st-century teaching and learning challenging. It also hosts conferences that bring together educators, technologists, and business and policy leaders to share Iona’s initiatives and innovations and to facilitate the exchange of ideas and innovations addressing the challenges of teaching and learning in the 21st century.
— Aaron Rosenfeld, Ph.D. Professor of English and Chair, Faculty Senate
Iona takes its mission seriously—to develop human beings. Its approach to AI is not oriented around speed and efficiency, but around extending human capacity and creativity.
John Warner, award-winning author of More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI
Faculty Fellows
Each academic year, the GCTL awards Presidential and Provost Fellowships to fund innovation in pursuit of faculty development and pedagogical distinction. The Presidential Fellows develop, lead, and deliver internal workshops and symposia as well as the programming for our AI@Iona Outreach to local schools and districts. The Provost Fellows focus on more closely defined educational initiatives.
Thought
Leadership
Writing for Inside Higher Ed, Iona’s Dr. Ivy Linton Stabell, Senior Presidential Fellow, shared how she uses AI to keep students curious in the classroom.
Animating the Gabelli Center’s work is the belief that through faculty-led innovation, Iona will be both a catalyst for educational progress and a thought leader as we reaffirm our commitment to the success of our students.
David H. Autor, Ph.D., keynote speaker at "The Future of Work: Finding Meaningful Careers in the AI Age" conference.
D. Graham Burnett, Ph.D., "Exploring Attention"
Tom Chatfield, Ph.D., "Our Relationship with Technology"
Shannon Vallor, Ph.D., "The Virtues in the Age of Machine Thinking"
Todd Park, former U.S. chief technology officer, "The Future of Care"
AI@Iona Outreach
Designed and delivered by Gabelli Presidential Fellows, the program provides K-12 educators with a pedagogical and ethical framework for using AI and offers hands-on experience with generative tools. Partners have included Yonkers, Bronxville, and Eastchester school districts; Cardinal Hayes (Bronx) and Bergen Catholic (New Jersey) high schools; the Academy of Mount Saint Ursula (Bronx); St. Ignatius Middle School (Bronx); and Saints John & Paul School (Larchmont).
Education in Real Life
Through collaborations with innovators in multiple industries, creative engagement with emerging technologies, and a radical reconsideration of classroom practices, Iona’s pioneering EIRL initiative, launched in summer 2026, is designed to help students meet a changing world with curiosity, confidence, and the capacity to make decisions in times of ambiguity and change. Inaugural industry partners included Consigli Construction Co., Inc; Eos Energy Enterprises; Union Square Hospitality Group; Wyndham Hotels and Resorts; and legendary Westchester restaurateur John Crabtree.
Throughout the academic year, GCTL sponsors workshops, seminars and speaker series.
The Gabelli Center for Teaching & Learning is a vibrant hub for institutional innovation, faculty development, and the promotion of student success.
The Teaching and Learning Hub is a focal point for conversation, shared resources, and technological support.
Gabelli Certa Scholars Program
The Gabelli Certa Scholars Program provides Catholic schools in the tri-state area with a pipeline of well-prepared, passionate educators committed to teaching in K-12 Catholic schools.
Utilizing a cohort-based model, students complete the program within 2-3 years by taking 12 credits each year while working or teaching in an urban Catholic school. As they work towards their master’s degrees, students receive free graduate tuition and an immersive experience of teaching and learning through partnerships with Catholic schools in the region. With the Gabelli Center for Teaching & Learning, the program further drives Iona's commitment towards Catholic educational excellence in the New York community.
Explore Iona’s graduate education programs
For more information about the Gabelli Certa Scholars Program, please contact MaryEllen Callaghan, mcallaghan@iona.edu.
Vision and Generosity
Exemplifying a longstanding commitment to Catholic education, the Gabelli Center for Teaching & Learning is made possible through the vision and generosity of Marc Gabelli, of Gabelli Group, and his mother, Elaine Madonna Gabelli, a longtime Catholic elementary school teacher, of the EMG Madonna Foundation. The EMG Madonna Foundation is committed to supporting and strengthening Catholic education in the New York City area through grants and active student involvement. Iona University is grateful for their dedication and support.
