Summer 2016 Newsletter

The past year has been one of growth and opportunities, and we are excited about the possibilities in the 2016-2017 school year. We also look forward to working more closely with you — the Nebraska real estate community — in the coming year as we build upon this great UNO Real Estate legacy.

Thank you for joining us as we embark on a new and exciting journey.

Be sure to like the UNO Real Estate Center on Facebook.

Contents

• Student enrollment and catalog changes
• Research
• Commercial Real Estate Summit
• Rho Epsilon Banquet
• Student spotlight
• Save the date: Real Estate Center mini-symposium

Real Estate Student Enrollment & Catalog Changes

Student interest in UNO Real Estate classes has increased dramatically over the past year, as reflected by the number of students enrolled in Real Estate Principles & Practices during the spring 2016 semester: 110.

This represents a 124 percent increase over spring 2015 Principles enrollment, and it was the first time in over a decade that we offered three Principles sections during a spring semester.

Several factors were responsible for driving this increase:

• Committed efforts by College of Business Administration advisors to reach students and provide guidance on the positive aspects of taking a real estate class. (We are grateful for their efforts!)
• Increased direct marketing to CBA students and faculty/student participation at UNO orientation events.
• The overall health of the Omaha real estate market — students are “wow’d” by the dynamic development and brokerage activities they see around town.

With the high median age of real estate practitioners across the board, this increase in enrollment is very encouraging and will enable UNO to help satisfy the growing demand for real estate professionals.

To meet the needs of the growing number and diversity of students, we have revamped the catalog to provide more options for students seeking to attain a Real Estate concentration.

See the updated concentration requirements for 2016-2017

Research Updates

Overall goals and objectives of research/outreach activities

One of the key objectives of the Real Estate Center is to bolster real estate research initiatives of interest to the real estate community.

We seek to:

• Undertake research/teaching/outreach on timely subject matter that is of direct interest to donors and stakeholders
• Produce research that benefits multiple stakeholders (both the public and private sectors)

Current and recent research projects

College of Business Administration (Faculty Development Grant 2016)

• Quantifying Commercial and Residential Building Depreciation Rates in Omaha

U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (Institute of Water Resources)

• Development of a National Database of Depreciated Structure Replacement Values for Inclusion with SimSuite/HAZUS and Flood Mitigation Reconnaissance Studies

University Council of Water Resources (UCOWR)-Institute of Natural Resources (IWR-USACE) Sabbatical Fellowship

• Improving the Efficiency and Accuracy of Flood Damage Estimates Using Geographic Information System (GIS) Based Property Tax Assessment Databases

Funding sources (2005-2014)

• Sponsored programs (external grants): $543,000
• Operational funds (local donors): $4,000-$6,000/year
• UNO/CBA faculty development grants: $30,000

Commercial Real Estate (CRE) Summit Participation

On April 8, real estate students participated in the annual Commercial Real Estate Summit, held at the CenturyLink Center in downtown Omaha. This year’s summit theme was “Breaking Down Barriers: Adapting To A Changing World” and attracted a record-setting 750+ participants from the Omaha real estate community.

Throughout the day, 25 UNO students, the highest number of student attendees in the summit’s 25+ year history, attended targeted breakout sessions to enhance their real estate knowledge and obtained a snapshot of what’s going on in the Omaha real estate market.

Student attendees also had the opportunity to network with leaders in the Omaha commercial real estate community. In addition to energizing students about real estate, the event complemented classroom learning and gave all students a different perspective about what real estate practitioners face every day.

Five years ago, CRE Summit founder Jerry Slusky — partner at Smith, Slusky, Pohren & Rogers and UNO alumnus — invited UNO students to the event, offering a greatly discounted rate to attend ($25 vs. $260). He also invited the UNO Real Estate Center director to speak at each year’s event and participate as a member of the CRE Summit planning committee. This strategy has clearly worked to the benefit of students, and the UNO Real Estate Center is grateful to Jerry Slusky and the CRE planning committee for their efforts to include UNO.

2016 Rho Epsilon Banquet

The 51st annual Rho Epsilon Scholarship Banquet was held on May 6, 2016, to honor UNO’s top real estate students. In addition to highlighting their academic achievements, the event provided students with the opportunity to meet and network with professionals from the Omaha and Lincoln real estate communities amid dinner and drinks.

Despite its long history, there were several firsts this year:

• The gala was held in Mammel Hall, CBA’s showcase building.
• There were a record number of attendees: 85.
• Thanks to the generosity of sponsors, there was no cost to attend the event. Sponsors are listed below.

The Master of Ceremonies and Rho Epsilon Alumni President John Bredemeyer presided over the formal portion of the evening, where the following UNO Real Estate students were honored with scholarships:

The 51st Rho Epsilon Banquet committee is grateful for the generosity of our scholarship donors and event sponsors.

Student Spotlight

If you’ve passed through the “real estate hallway” in Mammel Hall, you may have seen a new face: Erin Howard — the Real Estate Center’s first student worker.

Raised in Springfield, Nebraska, on a small farm, she is a junior in the College of Business Administration with a primary concentration in real estate, and secondary concentrations in finance and management.

Why did she choose Real Estate as a concentration?

I actually started out with an accounting concentration and didn’t even know that UNO had a real estate program. In 2014, I was working with my mom to flip a house in Rockbrook, and when it came time to sign up for classes, I saw that there was a real estate principles course offered. I signed up and absolutely loved it. It captured my interest right away.

Erin is passionate about real estate and is especially interested in the agricultural and commercial real estate sectors. After graduation, she is eager to pursue a career that encompasses both disciplines.

She is the newly elected secretary for the Rho Epsilon Real Estate Fraternity for the 2016-2017 school year and was recently inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, an international business honor society.

In addition to being a stellar student and involved in the community, Erin knocks it out of the park on a daily basis at the Real Estate Center.

Rumor has it she is also a giant muskie’s worst nightmare (though she always releases these elusive, uncommon creatures). Way to go, Erin!

We’re thrilled to have Erin on board.

SAVE THE DATE: Real Estate Center Mini-Symposium August 26

What better way to spend an afternoon and end a stellar real estate week than to join us for the UNO Real Estate Center’s first community educational event?

On Friday, August 26, at 3:00 P.M., join us for 90 minutes of learning at Mammel Hall from two nationally renowned real estate speakers, followed by networking, fellowship, food and drinks.

There are three reasons you should not miss this opportunity:

1. Food and drinks will be free.
2. The event will enable you to leave work early, and will be over early enough so as not to interfere with your Friday evening plans.
3. You will learn something that will make you better at your trade … guaranteed.

We are currently seeking sponsors to help offset some of the costs of this inaugural event. If you are interested in sponsoring some aspect of the event, email us for more information (realestate@unomaha.edu). All donations made in support of this event are tax-deductible. Thanks for your consideration.

Hope to see you at Mammel Hall on Friday, August 26. Look for additional details and registration instructions soon.