Engaged Faculty: James Stillwaggon, Ph.D., Philosophy
An inspiring teacher and thoughtfully ardent writer, philosophy professor James Stillwaggon, Ph.D., has led a long career of motivating students to take on new ideas and challenge their perspectives on the bigger questions in life.
James Stillwaggon, Ph.D.
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - An inspiring teacher and thoughtfully ardent writer, philosophy professor James Stillwaggon, Ph.D., has led a long career of motivating students to take on new ideas and challenge their perspectives on the bigger questions in life. Though he completed the majority of his college credits at the Hoger Instituut Wijsbegeerte at the University of Leuven (Belgium), this native of Point Lookout, N.Y., earned his bachelor’s in philosophy from Loyola College, and a Ph.D. that was a joint effort between Teachers College and Columbia University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
As a college senior, Dr. Stillwaggon was inspired to join the Peace Corps, but after learning that only business majors were being recruited at his school that year, he was disappointed, but not discouraged. Fearless and determined, he took the advice of a neighbor, who encouraged him to look into Teach For America (TFA), where he went on to serve for two years in North Carolina communities inflicted by social and economic inequities. It was here that James was most hard hit by the influences that dictate what is and isn’t possible for such groups in our society.
Read more on Dr. Stillwaggon and other stories about our Engaged Faculty, Outstanding Students, and Accomplished Alumni.
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Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students and an alumni base of more than 50,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering 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. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona also continues to be recognized in prestigious national rankings. Most recently for 2025, Iona has been named one of the nation’s best colleges by The Princeton Review, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and others. Additionally, U.S. News & World Report recognized Iona as one of top for social mobility in the country, while Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) ranked an Iona degree in the top 5 percent nationally for long-term return on investment. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business, meanwhile, is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just 6 percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review recognized Iona’s on-campus MBA program as a “Best Business School for 2024.” Iona also offers a fully online MBA program for even greater flexibility. In July 2021, Iona announced the establishment of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, which is now principally located on Iona’s Bronxville campus in collaboration with one of the nation’s top hospitals. Connecting to its Irish heritage, Iona also opened a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland, located on the historic 400-acre Westport House Estate. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.