Iona College receives $15 million gift for business school

NEW ROCHELLE - Iona College has received a $15 million gift to rebuild its business school, officials announced Saturday.

The pledge from graduate Robert V. LaPenta is the largest in the school's history, said spokeswoman Dawn Insanalli.

It will enable Iona to triple the space at Hagan Hall, where the business school is housed.

A new structure will be built that connects to the existing building. It will house classrooms, case study and meeting spaces, faculty offices, a lecture hall, a business career center and an expanded trading floor classroom.

Iona offers business degrees to both graduates and under graduates at its New Rochelle campus. The school also has a Rockland satellite program in Pearl River at Blue Hill Plaza.

The pledge from LaPenta is part of a campaign to raise $150 million at the college. The Iona Forever campaign now totals $63 million, Insanalli said.

LaPenta graduated from Iona College in 1967.  He is chairman, CEO and founding partner of Aston Capital, a private investment company specializing in secure military communication companies and companies with green technology.

LaPenta also serves as chairman and CEO of Revolution Lighting Technologies and The Radiant Group.

He previously gave generous gifts that led to the construction at Iona of the LaPenta Student Union Building, the Ryan library and the trading floor for the School of Business.