New Rochelle, N.Y., May 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iona University proudly marked a major milestone in its ongoing commitment to Catholic education, academic excellence and student success as it celebrated a year of transformative impact through the Gabelli Center for Teaching and Learning (GCTL).

Established through the generosity of Marc Gabelli and the EMG Madonna Foundation in April 2024, the Gabelli Center exemplifies Iona’s enduring commitment to providing a transformative educational experience as inspired by the legacy of Blessed Edmund Rice and the Christian Brothers.

“Through the Gabelli Center for Teaching & Learning and the initiatives we are advancing among our faculty, students and community partners, Iona remains at the forefront of providing a transformative education inspired by our core values,” said President Seamus Carey, Ph.D. “The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence compels us to reexamine how we teach and learn, presenting an extraordinary opportunity for educators to engage students even more deeply as we prepare them for lives of professional achievement, meaning and purpose.”

With its new home located in a central location on Iona’s New Rochelle campus, adjacent to Ryan Library, the newly renovated 1,400 square-foot Gabelli Center serves as a physical and intellectual catalyst for collaboration, creativity and cutting-edge pedagogy.

Iona looks forward to hosting an official ribbon cutting for the new space this fall, which will coincide with Iona’s “AI in Education Conference” planned for educators across the region.

“This new space stands as a vibrant testament to the incredible support of the Gabelli Family. The Center has allowed us to engage in and accomplish so much important work over the past year,” said Tricia Mulligan, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. “It has created the kind of environment where faculty can engage deeply with ideas, with one another, and with the resources they need in order to lead and serve as the most excellent of educators.”

A Year of Transformative Impact

Over the past year, the Gabelli Center has executed several strategic, multifaceted programs that embody Iona’s forward-thinking approach to education. Key components include:

• Presidential & Provost Fellowships: The inaugural Fellows are leading strategic, cross-disciplinary efforts to address the role of AI in education by fostering collaboration, shaping practical guidelines and advancing shared learning across campus and beyond.
• Presidential Speaker Series: The Presidential Speaker Series has been a dynamic forum designed to spark dialogue within Iona and the community at large. Iona this year invited renowned experts in business innovation, technology, attention and ethics to explore the profound implications of artificial intelligence.
• AI@IONA Outreach: Through a five-module training program, the AI@IONA micro-credential program equipped K-12 educators with the tools and resources to navigate AI’s growing influence. Partners included Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, as well as Yonkers Public Schools and the Bronxville school district.
• Gabelli Certa Scholars: 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. As the scholars work toward their master’s degrees in education, they receive free graduate tuition and an immersive experience of teaching and learning with Catholic schools in the region.
• A New Home on Campus: In a world of endless virtual spaces, Iona believes the power of face-to-face collaboration is even more essential. After renovating a centrally located building on campus, the Iona community now has a dedicated space to gather and advance pedagogical innovation, with access to AI tools, technical support, workshops, library consultation and more.

Meeting the AI Moment 

Iona’s inaugural Presidential and Provost Fellows have been instrumental in fostering a culture of collaborative inquiry across campus, exploring pedagogical innovation and defining best practices for integrating AI into curriculum across disciplines. Projects covered a broad range of disciplines, exploring AI use in everything from business, marketing and criminal justice to nursing, English, family therapy and more.

Iona recognized the Fellows’ contributions during a special presentation event in the Gabelli Center on April 25, 2025, when the University community came together to engage with their work.

“The Gabelli Center reflects Iona’s deep commitment to learning as a shared journey,” said James Mustich, senior advisor to the president. “Congratulations to our inaugural cohort of Fellows for all their rigorous work, dedication and commitment to facing the challenges and opportunities AI poses for students and teachers everywhere.”

ABOUT IONA
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 colleges 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 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. 

Attachments

• Presidential & Provost Fellows
• Iona University President Seamus Carey, Ph.D.

Diana Costello
Iona University
914.633.2688
dcostello@iona.edu