Iona enhances dining for students, mental health opportunities for residents 

The Wall Street Journal recently ranked Iona University as the No. 66 Best College in America, including No. 1 for student experience in New York and the No. 8 best Roman Catholic college in the nation. Iona also tied Yale University as the fourth most recommended college in the Northeast by students. In addition, The Princeton Review included Iona in its 2024 “Best 389 Colleges” nationwide. So it’s not surprising that the school, with campuses in New Rochelle and Bronxville, has announced plans to expand its offerings not only for students but residents as well.   

First, for the students:  The university has unveiled plans to transform the LaPenta Student Union and enhance its on-campus dining. Spanning two floors and roughly 20,000 square feet – 14,000 for dining and 6,000 for a lounge and meeting area – the project is set to begin in May and be completed next spring.    

The renovation builds on the vision of President Seamus Carey, Ph.D., to create spaces that connect, unify and inspire the Iona community. Setting that idea in motion with the opening of the 30,000-square-foot Murphy Green in May 2022, the university plans to strengthen the heart of Iona’s 45-acre main campus in New Rochelle with the new student union.   

“We’ve seen the impact the Murphy Green has had on student life and on campus life as a whole,” Carey said. “This is going to expand upon that vibrancy at the center of campus and continue the momentum we’ve generated. I believe learning should happen all the time, not just while students are in a classroom. That’s why we want to create the spaces where students can come together with each other and with faculty and staff to continue the learning process throughout the day. Students need those spaces to perform at their highest levels.”   

Meanwhile,  The Community Fund of Bronxville, Eastchester and Tuckahoe has awarded Iona a $10,000 grant to conduct spring workshops focused on managing stress, depression and anxiety.  

“We are thrilled to partner with The Community Fund to provide these important workshops for local residents,” said Kavita Dhanwada, Ph.D., founding dean of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences. “This opportunity both aligns with Iona’s mission of service to our local communities and gives our students the chance to gain real-world experience applying the lessons of the classroom into the world beyond.” 

Three one-hour workshops will take place this spring at Iona’s Kelly Center for Health Sciences in Bronxville. They are Stress Management for Teenagers; Mental, Emotional and Relational Well-Being & Health; and Racism and Multicultural Awareness. The grant will be implemented by graduate students from Iona University’s Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling programs.    

The goal is to help improve health outcomes based on the Community Fund’s recent Community Needs Assessment, which identified a large gap surrounding mental health and well-being. 

Amy Korb, executive director of The Community Fund, said the needs assessment, conducted in partnership with Pace University’s Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship, provided important data to understand what services were most needed.  

“Our staff, in partnership with our board, worked together to develop the mental health discretionary fund and find robust programs that provide tangible help to our community members,” Korb said. “This isn’t just about mental health awareness; it is about providing our community members with the services and tools to help them thrive.”