NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Board of Trustees of Iona College held its 2015 Iona College Scholarship Award Gala & Diamond Jubilee Celebration on April 10 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City to honor leaders who exemplify the College’s mission of service, scholarship and value-based learning.
Over $1.2 million dollars were raised that evening to benefit student scholarships at Iona College. Nearly 700 people were on hand for the event, including scores of students and scholarship recipients, to see His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan ’14H and James P. Hynes ’69, ’01H recognized for their service to the Catholic faith and Iona College. As part of the gala, Mr. Hynes was presented with Iona College’s Legacy Award and Cardinal Dolan was presented with the Blessed Edmund Rice Humanitarian Award. Iona College also paid special tribute to its 75th anniversary while celebrating these two deserving individuals.
“This year’s Gala was incredibly special as we recognized Iona College’s long and distinguished legacy and celebrated the life’s work and important service of Cardinal Dolan and Chairman Jim Hynes. We were also pleased to announce the establishment of an endowed scholarship fund in Cardinal Dolan’s name,” said Iona President Joseph E. Nyre. “Each, in their own unique way, exemplify Iona College’s mission of service, scholarship and achievement and we’re proud that they are members of the Iona community.”
In accepting the awards, Cardinal Dolan and Mr. Hynes join an impressive group of individuals who have preceded them, including Francis Cardinal Spellman, New York Governor Malcolm Wilson, U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, football great and businessman Roger Staubach, Yankee legend Mariano Rivera, business executive Robert LaPenta, New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, and the 15 Iona alumni lost in the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center.
The Blessed Edmund Rice Humanitarian Award, named to honor the founder of the Congregation of Christian Brothers, recognizes those who by their activities and service to others have reinforced Iona’s identity as a College founded in the tradition of the Congregation of Christian Brothers and American Catholic higher education. In addition to receiving the Blessed Edmund Rice Humanitarian Award, a scholarship was established by Iona College in Cardinal Dolan’s name.
“To receive this distinguished award and to hear the good news of the fund established in my honor, the scholarships to Iona, means an awful lot to me and it adds to the joy of this Easter season,” Cardinal Dolan said. “And, that we would gather on this 75th anniversary of Iona College, adds to the festiveness of this season.”
Cardinal Dolan, who was awarded an honorary degree from Iona last year, was named Archbishop of New York by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 and soon after received the pallium — a symbol of his office as an archbishop — from the Pope at Saint Peter’s Basilica. Before coming to New York, Dolan served as Archbishop of Milwaukee, a position to which he was named by Pope John Paul II in 2002.
Ordained to the priesthood in 1976, Dolan served as a pastor, seminary rector and professor of church history. For seven years, he was rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome where he served until June 2001. While in Rome, he was a visiting professor of Church History at the Pontifical Gregorian University and a faculty member in the Department of Ecumenical Theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of The Catholic University of America and a member of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization and the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
In 2010, Cardinal Dolan was elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, succeeding Cardinal Francis George of Chicago. Two years later, Cardinal Dolan was appointed to the College of Cardinals.
Hynes, who has more than 30 years of experience in the telecommunications and technology industries and has served in many executive and director roles throughout the world, received the Iona College Legacy Award for his lifetime achievements.
“Keeping the vision of the founders and the mission of the founders going, we’ve done it for 75 years,” Hynes said. “I’d like to say this to the students: When you get out, if you are successful, don’t think you did it on your own, you didn’t do it all on your own. Every experience you’ve had growing up led to whatever successes you may have. Be appreciative of that. Remember your alma mater and come back, visit it and be generous to it and help other kids.”
In addition to holding chief executive roles at companies including COLT Telecommunications, MetroRED Telecom and KVH Telecom, Hynes’ career included senior positions with Chase Manhattan, Continental Corporation, Bache & Co. and New York Telephone. He is currently chairman and co-founder of Inteliquent Inc., and Hynes Capital Resources.
Hynes has made significant contributions to the College and student body as an alumnus, mentor and advocate for Iona. A 1969 graduate of Iona, Hynes was awarded an honorary degree in 2001. He currently serves as chairman of the College’s Board of Trustees. In 2006, the Hynes Athletics Center became a reality because of his record-breaking gift. He was also a member of the Alumni Board of Directors for 15 years, serving as president from 1989-1991.
In 1994, Hynes was the recipient of the Alumni Association’s Brother Arthur A. Loftus Award for Outstanding Achievement. He was also honored with the Brother Patrick B. Doyle Award for Distinguished Service to the Alumni Association in 1996. As an undergraduate student, he competed on the rowing team at Iona.