Iona University (at the time, Iona College) opened its doors in 1940 with nine Christian Brothers and six lay faculty greeting the first class. Their goal was to open new paths to economic and social advancement for the sons of New York’s working class.
They gave their new institution the name of Iona, after a small island located in the Inner Hebrides just off the west coast of Scotland. It was on this tiny island, in 563, where the Irish monk Saint Columba established an abbey from which missionaries went forth to teach and evangelize.
The island of Iona became a center for faith and learning, which contributed significantly to the religious and cultural development of Western Europe. As did the monks of St. Columba’s time, Iona University’s founders believed in giving students the best secular training while educating the “whole person” – mind, heart and spirit.