Iona breaks ground on new School of Business building

On July 27, Iona College broke ground on an estimated $35 million expansion of its School of Business, including a new school building.

Rendering of School of Business expansion. Provided by Iona College.

Construction of the new building is expected to wrap up in the spring of 2020. The renovations will more than double the academic space for both the School of Business and Iona’s School of Arts & Science. The building will include high-tech classrooms and computer labs, a central atrium for events, meeting rooms, faculty offices, a lecture hall, a business career center, an expanded trading floor classroom and a media suite.

Some of the first ceremonial dirt for the project was shoveled by Robert V. LaPenta, a 1967 Iona graduate who donated $17.5 million to the college to help fund the facility. The gift was the largest in school history.

New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson was also there to dig out some dirt. A land-use dispute between the college and its host city two years ago had delayed the project and sent the two parties to court. But the city and college reached an agreement in May that dropped all litigation and allowed the college’s expansion plans to move forward.

Photo of the groundbreaking ceremony provided by Iona College. From left: Darrell P. Wheeler, James Hynes, William B. Lamb, Robert V. LaPenta, Iona President Joseph E. Nyre, New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson, Kevin M. Griffith and Hannah McGowan.

Iona School of Business Dean William B. Lamb called it an historic day for the college.

“We are deeply committed to continuous improvement, service to students and community impact, and we are excited for 2020, when we will have a state-of-the-art space and a dramatically heightened student experience,” he said.