Pictured: Mayor Mary Marvin. Photo by N. Bower

By Mary Marvin, Mayor of Bronxville

Feb. 28, 2024: Last week Trustee Behrens and I met with Iona University President Seamus Carey to be updated on the programs, current projects and aspirations at the Iona Bronxville campus.

We were so energized and inspired by the activities undertaken at Iona – our new anchor and partner for the Village.

Our relationship continues to be seamless and symbiotic as we embrace our hometown University.

Sharing what we as Trustees have learned about Iona with you, its neighbors, seemed particularly instructive.

We hope you will be as inspired and reassured as village government as we embark on a new chapter with Iona University.

Background

As background, Iona acquired the 28-acre Bronxville campus in May 2021 from Concordia College due to quite simply the need for more space to carry out the Iona mission as the New Rochelle campus is essentially land locked with no room for growth.

Bronxville’s acreage provided the perfect opportunity, but as we all know, the infrastructure was in great need of repair so the projects are ongoing.

As a result of great collaboration, shortly after acquiring the Bronxville campus, Iona secured a partnership with the New York-Presbyterian Hospital and in 2021 established the New York-Presbyterian-Iona School of Health Sciences, providing a model for the future of healthcare education.

Not only is the school developing innovative new programs that are in high demand in the medical field, students also gain hands-on experience alongside some of the nation’s top doctors and nurses during clinicals.

Offering degrees at both the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels, the standards are rigorous, the curriculum challenging and state of the art. Most importantly, the school takes a holistic approach focusing on high quality, compassionate care.

Thanks to the generosity of alumni Al and Peggy Kelly, the flagship building – the Kelly Center for Health Sciences – was opened in January 2023. The attractive new building houses the latest training equipment, modern classrooms and simulations labs.

Recognizing the need for facility upgrades, numerous spaces were renovated during the summer of 2023 transforming both indoor and outdoor spaces transforming Iona Bronxville into much more than the School of Health Sciences. It is also home to an expanding arts program as well as growing club sports and even Division I athletic teams.

The campus now houses a modernized dance studio, a brand new weight room, two renovated gymnasiums, a health conscious new cafe, renovated field, new welcome center and Dean’s suites.

Because of the bonus of extra space, non-classroom programs have been added including Division I women’s acrobatic and tumbling teams.

The baseball team has a new Bronxville field and the venerable Sommer Center is home to spaces to grow ensembles, dance teams, host performances and offer performing arts practice spaces.

If you take a walk by, you can see that the campus has truly come to life again.

Questions posed by Bronxville residents and answered by Iona President Carey

How would Iona like to further engage with the residents of Bronxville to enhance both institutions?
We’ve had a great relationship with Bronxville so far and as we develop more programs there, many will be accessible to the Bronxville community including a Speakers’ Series. As more organizations continue to use Iona spaces, we look forward to building out those relationships even more. Local groups that currently utilize various fields or spaces on campus include Bronxville Youth Lacrosse, the Chapel School, Tuckahoe High School Athletics, Eastchester Youth Soccer, Crush Baseball, Siwanoy Country Club, and the Conservatory.

Are there any plans on the docket for construction/expansion?
As I’ve stated since inception, there are no plans to expand the buildings with any renovations at this time. The major building renovations completed are to the Kelly Center for Health Sciences and Feth Hall, which included making the entrance ADA accessible. We’ve also completed renovations to the cafe, which is open to the public, as well as some office spaces and two gyms – one that’s used for basketball and volleyball and the other that’s used for acrobatics and tumbling. We’ve also completed renovations on the all-purpose turf field.

What about the baseball field?
We have exciting plans to fix the baseball field but the expense of the project is significant. The right field area currently has slope on it, and that would need to be eliminated before Iona’s Division I team would be able to play there. We are in a fundraising process to make sure we have the funds to do it properly. Once the field is renovated, that would present an opportunity to partner with the Bronxville community to provide baseball facilities for their teams. But we need to get the funds in place before we can do that project.

What’s going to happen to the dormitories – are they being used? The dormitory buildings are not being used as student residences and there are no plans to use them as student residences in the near future. They are only currently being used as they were with Concordia – as office spaces on the ground floor.

How about the houses on Concordia Place?
Two houses are occupied with tenants and a couple more were configured by Concordia as office spaces. Others would need to be renovated before they could be used.

What is the relationship of the Music Conservatory to Iona?
The Conservatory continues to be a tenant of the university and they continue to use the space as they traditionally have. They are in the first year of a five-year lease.

Can recreational space be used by local groups when Iona is not in session? We are open to talking to organizations about using our spaces when we are not using them.

Is Sommer Center open for rental?
Yes, so long as if fits the school’s schedule. For space rentals, please contact Kimberly Winston at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (914) 637-7790.