President Seamus Carey, Ph.D., Talks with Editor-in-Chief of The Ionian

Alison Robles ’20 is the editor-in-chief of The Ionian, Iona’s student-run newspaper. Originally from Yonkers, N.Y., Alison serves as a resident assistant in the historic Rice Hall. She is currently working toward a dual degree in Marketing and Media & Strategic Communications with a concentration in Public Relations. In the past, she has worked as a commuter assistant and served as an orientation leader and an orientation team leader.

Alison sat down with President Seamus Carey, Ph.D., to talk about his vision for his role at Iona.

AR: How do you plan to approach the position of president?

SC: I look at one of my primary roles as finding a way to create conditions where people can do their best. There are great ideas on any college campus, so the challenge is to get those ideas heard and then to find ways to implement them. In order to do that, I’ve spent a lot
of time conversing and listening to people, and then trying to translate their ideas into actions that can help move the school forward. Colleges and universities are complex organizations so it is important to constantly remember that we are here to provide the best possible education we can to students. We are a school, and schools exist for students to learn at a high level. That is my primary focus.

AR: What do you hope to have accomplished by the end of your first year here at Iona?

SC: I would like to have gotten to know as many people as possible on campus, to learn their stories and to create strong relationships with both the internal community and the external community. I would like to establish our top priorities early in the year and begin to work on them. There has already been a fair amount of work done in that regard with the new strategic plan that was developed before I arrived at Iona. The plan is a good road map to address the challenges we face. After my first year, I would hope that the community is excited and confident about where the school is going.

AR: Could you describe some of those challenges and how you aim to tackle them?

SC: A specific challenge is making sure the school remains affordable to as many students as possible, so they have access to an Iona education. Another challenge is to make sure the courses we offer are relevant and engaging. That does not mean that we jettison courses that teach material from the past. Plato is as relevant today as ever. But we have to make sure that we have the right balance between the traditional elements of a curriculum that Catholic schools are known for and the courses that will prepare students for an economy that is governed by the digital revolution we are living through. Whether a course is traditional in its content or contemporary, it needs to be engaging so that students are excited about learning and acquire the bug to be lifelong learners.