New Rochelle, NY (February 2015) — One of the nation’s most charismatic and influential religious leaders and a businessman who has been a stalwart supporter of Iona College will be honored by the College at its annual scholarship gala this year, the Board of Trustees recently announced.
His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan ’14H and James P. Hynes ’69,’01H will each be honored at the 2015 Iona College Scholarship Award Gala & Diamond Jubilee Celebration on Friday, April 10, at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan. This year’s gala is unique as Iona College will be recognizing its 75th anniversary while honoring these two deserving individuals.
As part of the gala, Mr. Hynes will be presented with Iona College’s Legacy Award and Cardinal Dolan will be presented with the Blessed Edmund Rice Humanitarian Award.
“These honorees exemplify Iona College’s mission of community service, scholarship and achievement,” said Iona President Joseph E. Nyre. “They live their lives leading by example and are proof that the mission of Iona’s founders remains a core value of our College and its community.”
Cardinal Dolan and Hynes join an impressive group of individuals who have been honored by Iona College, 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.
Cardinal Dolan, who was given an honorary degree from Iona last year, was named Archbishop of New York by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 and soon after he 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, will receive the Iona College Legacy Award for his lifetime achievements. 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 and serves as president of Advanced Mobile Communications International.
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 also received 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.
Hynes and his wife, Anne Marie, have twin daughters and live in Riverside, Conn.
Proceeds from the Scholarship Gala will support student scholarships. For more information, visit Iona College online at www.IonaScholarshipGala.org.
About Iona College:
Founded in 1940, Iona College is a four-year private, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers and American Catholic higher education. It is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona offers undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science, and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona College is the second largest private sector employer in New Rochelle.