Mammel Hall Commons Gets New Name

Omaha – A name long associated with real estate development in Omaha now will be permanently affiliated with the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s (UNO) College of Business Administration (CBA).

Today, CBA dedicated the Ted M. Seldin Commons in Mammel Hall, the college’s home. The area is prominently located on the main level and frequently used by students as a place to study and gather.

The naming recognizes Seldin’s generous support of UNO’s Real Estate and Asset Management Program, including a recent gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation and a future gift planned through his estate.

"Ted Seldin’s generosity is assisting us in elevating an already-strong real estate program,” said Louis Pol, dean of the UNO CBA. “Our students are the beneficiaries here. The additional classroom and non-classroom opportunities funded by Mr. Seldin’s gift will extend their knowledge and experience and will place them in a most advantageous position for professional success and growth upon graduation.

“We also appreciate Ted’s encouragement of CBA alumni and others to also support the real estate program. Their support, coupled with Ted’s, will have a lasting influence on the program’s success.”

Seldin currently serves as chairman of the Omaha-based Seldin Company, the firm his father started in the 1920s. Following Ted Seldin’s graduation from the University of Iowa with degrees in economics and law, he joined the company in 1957 — the same year the company began developing 1,000 acres of farmland along West Center Road, from 114th to 135th Streets, into the Westwood Communities.

Seldin has been active in many civic and housing related activities on both a local and national level. He is a past member of the boards of the Greater Omaha Housing Community Development Corporation, the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce and the Omaha Community Foundation.

Seldin also is past president of the Metropolitan Omaha Builders Association and a life member of its board of directors as well as the National Association of Home Builders.

In addition, Seldin has received numerous awards recognizing his business accomplishments and service.

Earlier this year, the University of Iowa honored him with its Distinguished Alumni Award which acknowledges outstanding achievements and service of its alumni and friends. Previously, the Omaha Chamber of Commerce inducted Seldin into its Business Hall of Fame in 2010. That same year he also was inducted into the Abraham Lincoln High School Hall of Fame. The school is located in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

“My wife Sarah and all our family are pleased to add our support to the UNO College of Business Administration’s efforts in providing excellent educational opportunities for the future business leaders of our community,” Seldin sai

The 120,000-square-foot home of the UNO CBA, Mammel Hall, completed construction in 2010 and holds the distinction of being the first LEED Gold Certified building in the University of Nebraska system. The $38.5 million building is named after Carl and Joyce Mammel, whose undisclosed contribution is the largest-ever philanthropic gift in the UNO 105 year history.

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The University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraska’s metropolitan university. The core values of the institution place students at the center of all that the university does; call for the campus to strive for academic excellence; and promote community engagement that transforms and improves urban, regional, national and global life. UNO, inaugurated in 1968, emerged from the Municipal University of Omaha, established in 1931, which grew out of the University of Omaha founded in 1908.

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