Iona University has opened the Kelly Center for Health Sciences on its new Bronxville campus with a dedication ceremony that honored Alfred F. Kelly Jr. and Peggy Kelly who donated $5 million toward the facility. Both are Iona alumni. Alfred Kelly is chairman and CEO of Visa.
Iona’s Bronxville campus formerly was home to Concordia College. The building housing the Kelly Center had been Concordia’s library. The 50-year-old structure was gutted and the 32,000-square-foot Kelly Center created on three floors. The reconstruction introduced environmentally friendly elements into the building such as the use of heat pump technology for heating and cooling, dimmable LED lighting and double-pane windows.
The Kelly Center is being billed as the flagship building for the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, which is funded with $20 million from hospital and health care operator NewYork-Presbyterian.
“We believe the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences will become a top destination for all those who feel called to serve others through these important fields of study,” Alfred Kelly said. “This is a proud moment for our family and a historic milestone for our alma mater.”
Peggy Kelly said, “Al and I are humbled by this gorgeous new facility, and we look forward to all that is still to come.”
“At a time when many private institutions of higher education are challenged to stay open, Iona made the move to purchase a new campus to accommodate growth,” said Iona’s President Seamus Carey. “This building and this campus are wellsprings of hope, not only for the students who will study here, but for the people and communities they will serve. The students who pass through this school and this building will make their mark on the world by providing health care with compassion. They will be distinctive not only for what they know, but for their generosity of spirit that is endemic in the Iona culture.”
Steven Corwin, NewYork-Presbyterian’s president and CEO. said, “Today is a momentous occasion, but we also know it is still just the start.”
Approximately 150 people attended the Jan. 12 dedication ceremony. In a recorded message, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, said, “The Kelly Center for Health Sciences will not only impact the lives of those who learn within it, but also the many thousands of lives that are going to benefit from the education that Iona students will receive.”
