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Ice Hockey and Men's and Women's Tennis to be Eliminated; Women's Lacrosse to be Added

New Rochelle, NY, March 11, 2003 - Iona College President James A. Liguori, CFC announced today a realignment of Iona's NCAA Division I athletics program.

The realignment, which is a component of and consistent with Iona's comprehensive Presidential Strategic Plan (which calls for the evaluation of all College co-curricular programs1), eliminates three programs - men's ice hockey, as well as men's and women's tennis. These changes will be effective for the 2003-2004 academic year. Additionally, women's lacrosse will be added to Iona's athletics, and will begin competition during the 2004-2005 academic year. Iona College's Legal Board of Trustees approved the decision at its meeting March 6.

"While we are sensitive to the fact that this is an unpopular decision in the eyes of many, particularly those that it directly impacts, we are also firm in our beliefs that this is the best decision for the overall well-being of our athletics program as we move forward," said Liguori. "We are certainly concerned about the programs and individuals whose lives this impacts and alters. However, we feel that this decision will have an overwhelmingly positive long-term affect on our remaining programs and student-athletes."

The realignment will reduce the number of NCAA Division I sports offered by the College from 23 to 21. Iona will continue to offer baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, football, men's golf, women's rowing, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's indoor/outdoor track, women's volleyball, as well as men's and women's water polo. Additionally, the athletics department offers men's rowing as a club sport. All programs with the exception of men's water polo compete in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

The realignment addresses Iona's facility concern, student-athlete welfare/experience issues, and fiscal and personnel resource constraints.

Currently, the ice hockey and tennis programs play at off-campus venues, not owned or controlled by the College. The addition of women's lacrosse allows Iona to better utilize Mazzella Field, its on-campus multipurpose turf field. The field is also used by Iona's football and men's and women's soccer programs during the fall. Women's lacrosse will hold its traditional season in the spring.

"This decision was not easily arrived at. It comes following a long and arduous examination of our entire athletics' program, focusing on issues such as facilities, student-athlete welfare and experience, conference affiliation, budget, personnel as well as overall competitive and excellence standards," said Director of Athletics Shawn Brennan. "We feel that this realignment will result in better overall excellence of our programs, improved allocations of our facility, fiscal and personnel resources while providing a more positive overall experience for the Iona College student-athlete."

The elimination of the three programs along with several other incremental reallocations will eventually (after scholarship commitments have been fulfilled) free up approximately $700,000, which will be reinvested into the athletics department and its remaining 21 programs.

The College anticipates that approximately 40 student-athletes will be directly affected by the elimination of programs. Iona will honor any athletic scholarship contracts held by those students if they wish to continue their academic careers at Iona. Under NCAA rules, those students can transfer to another institution and compete in the following academic year without having to establish residency for one year at that institution.

Iona College is a private, co-educational institution of learning in the tradition of American Catholic higher education founded in 1940 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers. 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 post-graduate certificate programs.

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1 Excerpts from Iona College Presidential Strategic Plan …Goal 5
Iona will provide a distinctive and exciting student-centered collegiate experience designed to encourage and facilitate the intellectual, moral, spiritual, emotional, physical and social development of each student, consistent with the Mission and traditions of the College.
Initiative 2
Evaluate the success of the co-curricular "flagship" program to determine if it should be continued in its current form, expanded or otherwise revised.

For questions or more information please contact:
Meghan Finn
Public Relations Office
Iona College, 715 North Avenue, New Rochelle, N.Y. 10801
tel: 914 633-2005 fax: 914 637-2711

 

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