Owl
Intellectual Attention
Slow looking, sustained reading, lectures, museum visits, research, careful observation or thoughtful discussion.
Iona Attention Passport
What is the Attention Passport?
Your Attention Passport accompanies you throughout your years at Iona. It invites you to pursue experiences that strengthen your ability to concentrate, observe, listen, question, reflect, and participate fully in the world around you. You will collect stamps for shared or verified activities and award yourself stickers for individual pursuits completed on the honor system.
The Passport is not another assignment or race for points. It is a record of moments when you chose to give something or someone your full attention.
HOW TO USE IT
Getting started is as simple as following these four steps.
- Obtain a passport from your HON 150 or COL 150 instructor.
- Find a designated event from the calendar here—or design your own activity.
- Receive a stamp or sticker and add to passport with date and capsule note.
- The attention journey is open-ended: you never “complete” it, but will be invited to Passport Milestone events to celebrate your progress.
Questions? Suggestions? Ideas? Email us at attention@iona.edu.
WHERE & WHEN
Check out our dynamic listing of attention events! We're constantly adding events so be sure to check back regularly for the most up-to-date schedule.
Upcoming Events
October 28, 2026
- Arrigoni Library Meeting Space
- 12:30pm - 1:45pm
November 5, 2026
- Robert V. LaPenta Student Union University Commons
- 1:00pm - 2:00pm
COLLECT STAMPS
Each stamp represents a different form of attention.
Receive a stamp at an eligible activity, or visit a Passport repository in Honors, the Provost’s Office, Student Life or Mission & Ministry afterward and briefly explain what you attended and what held your attention. Note the date and nature of the activity next to the stamp in your passport.
We’re launching with the three stamps you see here but will be adding new ones throughout the year for other kinds of experiences and activities. Suggestions are welcome for additional stamps, email us attention@iona.edu to share your ideas. Stamps are available at qualifying events or at a Passport repository in the Provost’s Office, Honors, Student Life or Mission & Ministry.
Pro tip: Annotate each stamp you get with date and a short note to create a lasting record.
Celtic Cross
Spiritual or Contemplative Attention
Prayer, meditation, sacred music, retreats, reflective walks, interfaith events or other contemplative practices.
Fire
Collective Attention
Service, civic events, performances, community conversations, cultural gatherings or collaborative experiences.
CHOOSE YOUR OWN ATTENTION
You are encouraged to pursue independent attention activities, then add a sticker on the honor system. Record the date and a short description so the Passport becomes a personal history of attention. Stickers will be available in the Provost’s Office, Honors, Student Life or Mission & Ministry.
Here are a few examples of individual pursuits you can document on the honor system with a sticker of the Iona logo, available in the Provost’s Office, Honors, Student Life or Mission & Ministry.
Read on paper for twenty uninterrupted minutes with your phone out of reach.
Take a twenty-minute walk without music, podcasts, texting or photography.
Attend an event outside your usual interests and identify one assumption that changed.
Study one artwork, building, manuscript page or natural object for fifteen minutes before seeking an explanation.
Sit outdoors and create a map of the sounds you hear.
Have a conversation in which you concentrate on listening rather than planning your reply.
Why Attention Matters
Your attention shapes what you learn, how you understand, and the person you become as an individual and among others.
Modern life competes constantly for your attention. Notifications, endless scrolling, rapid entertainment, and AI-generated answers can make distraction feel normal and sustained thought feel unusual. These tools can be useful, but they should not decide what deserves your attention or replace your own powers of observation, judgment, conversation, and imagination.
Attention gives you the freedom to choose what you will notice and pursue and discover what matters to you. In an age of abundant information and instant responses, the ability to remain present has become an intellectual, personal, spiritual, and civic strength.
Where the Passport Leads
Your Passport will lead you to a deeper connection between yourself, your community and the world at large. By cultivating this most valuable resource, you will open yourself up to new experiences, bolster your independence and develop mastery over the pitfalls of distraction. Iona University is also exploring ways to formally recognize students who participate in the Attention Passport experience.
Questions or ideas? Email attention@iona.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions
Passports will be distributed by your HON150 or COL150 instructor.
For the initial phase of the pilot, passports will be available to students in HON150 and COL150 courses. We hope to expand the program in subsequent phases.
Replacement passports will be available in the Provost’s Office.
For a full list of eligible events, please visit the Attention Passport Calendar. Select events can also be found here on the Attention Passport homepage.
The attention journey is open-ended: you never “complete” it, but you will be invited to Passport Milestone events to celebrate your progress.
No and no.
No. Hold on to your passport and consider taking a picture of it periodically for a backup record.
Event sponsors will steward stamps for their events and determine allocation.
Absolutely. You can pursue independent attention activities completed on the honor system (see webpage for examples) to get an Attention Passport sticker.
Stickers will be available in the Provost’s Office, Honors, Student Life or Mission & Ministry.