Endowment gift from Peter Ripp ’68 continues tradition of golf competition between Iona University and University College Dublin
A generous endowment gift from Peter Ripp ’68 is supporting the Iona University-University College Dublin (UCD) Challenge Cup. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2023, the annual Challenge Cup brings together student athletes, as well as alumni and donors from the two schools who face off in match play competition over three days at three different golf courses. Locations for the matches alternate between New York and Ireland each year. This year, it will be held in New York.
“We are so thankful for Peter’s generous gift in support of the annual Iona-UCD Challenge Cup matches,” said Matt Glovaski, director of athletics. “This experience has become a cornerstone of our golf program and provides an incredible experience for our student athletes and alumni who participate. Peter’s gift will help ensure this special tradition continues for many years to come.”
“I’m happy to join Jim Hynes and help continue his legacy of supporting this great program that provides our student athletes with unique opportunities to develop their skills, learn a different style of golf, and experience the Irish culture that underpins the heritage of Iona,” said Ripp.
Jim Hynes ’69,’01H, Iona trustee, launched the Challenge Cup in 2003 along with John Reidy, an alumnus of UCD. “I’m deeply grateful to Peter for his generosity which will ensure that the Challenge Cup matches continue to bring together student athletes and alumni from Iona and University College Dublin in a spirit of comradery and competition,” said Hynes.
A generous donor to Iona University for more than 20 years, Ripp is a member of Iona’s President’s Circle and Loyal Gaels Society. In addition to the Challenge Cup, he also supports The Ripp Family ’68 Endowed Scholarship and the Men’s Golf Team.
ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students and an alumni base of more than 50,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering 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 students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona is widely recognized in prestigious rankings, including The Princeton Review’s 2025 national list of “The Best 390 Colleges” and The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse’s “2024 Best Colleges in America,” which ranked Iona at #66 in the nation overall and #8 in the nation among Catholic schools. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just six percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review recognized Iona’s on-campus MBA program as a “Best Business School for 2023.” Iona also offers a fully online MBA program for even greater flexibility. In July 2021, Iona announced the establishment of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, which is now principally located on Iona’s Bronxville campus in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian. Connecting to its Irish heritage, the University also recently announced it is expanding abroad with a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.