Gerald W. Fogelson, CEO of the Fogelson Group of Companies, chairman of Central Station Development Corp. and co-founder of the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate discusses the vision that led to the founding of the Institute and how philanthropy can be an important part of life. The video was shown at the MBIRE Gala held Nov. 7, 2019 during which Fogelson accepted the Visionary Award. Since its founding in 2002, the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate has grown to become one of the most diverse graduate real estate programs in the country.
Student Success Story! Monae Redmond: ASAE Forty Under 40 Award Recipient
Congratulations to MBIRE alumna Monae Redmond for being a 2019 Association Forum and ASAE Forty Under 40 award recipient, and also a 2019 Emerging Leader!
Monae is currently Manager, Member Care at the Chicago Association of REALTORS®. She has been working for CAR since 2008, where she began as Branch Information Specialist/Manager before being promoted to her current role in 2012.
An established leader, she has managed a team of seven for the past six years, servicing approximately 15,500 members of the Chicago Association of REALTORS®. She possesses extensive knowledge of the real estate industry, and takes pride in providing top notch customer service to all members, students, volunteers and staff. Highly invested in excelling and assisting others in their quest for professional development and advancement, she continues to empower others to fulfill their greatest potential. An advocate for comfortable work environments and open door policies that contribute to a healthy work/life balance, she strives to make a difference in the association world.
Monae aspires to “introduce and inspire a new wave of leaders who care for their employees and foster environments where everyone is accepted for who they are, and empowered to be whatever they want to be. She also is very passionate about enhancing diversity and inclusion within all nonprofits and associations across the country.”
She has a Bachelor of Science, Business Management from Chicago State University and received her Master of Business Administration, Real Estate from our Institute in 2018. She also is a Li Licensed Illinois Real Estate Managing Broker and has received numerous awards .
What’s next for this high achiever? Designations of CAE, RCE and CCIM!
Student Success Story: Marlon Taylor Recipient of NAIOP Scholarship
Marlon Taylor is a 1st year MSRE candidate at Roosevelt University’s Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Starting his career in project management, he’s gained over 6 years of experience at some of the top construction and real estate firms such as Clark Construction and JLL. During his tenor, he’s developed a keen eye and passion for managing the real estate process through a variety of assignments ranging from new construction to adaptive reuse. Some of his key projects include a Naval Apartment complex (Norfolk, VA), the New Malcolm X College Campus (Chicago, IL), the Holiday Inn Disney Springs Hotel (Orlando, FL) and over 35 AMC Movie Theatre renovations across the nation.
Currently, Marlon serves as a Development Consultant for The Gettys Group. There, he’s dedicated to maximizing Real Estate investments of key stake holders through his expertise in Project Management, Development and Consulting. Mr. Taylor is eager to join NAIOP’s talented community of members, gain exposure through mentorship and promote the value of the organization.
In addition to tuition assistance, recipients of the University Scholarship receive a one-year NAIOP membership, a mentor involved in a field related to their interests, as well as a variety of other local benefits. The NAIOP Chicago University Scholarship program is annual, with applications to the program accepted in early Summer of each year.
Roosevelt University to offer Graduate Certificate in Real Estate Development
Roosevelt University to offer Graduate Certificate in Real Estate DevelopmentThe Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate at Roosevelt University is pleased to announce its new Graduate Certificate in Real Estate Development, the first of its kind to be offered in the Midwest. The 12-credit-hour program, which can be completed in two semesters (based on two courses per semester), begins in fall 2019.
The program offers academic and practical knowledge for achieving success in the property development sector of the real estate industry. The courses provide fundamental real estate knowledge, specific real estate development process knowledge and project efforts that are applicable to many careers within the industry.
“The certificate program is ideal for students who have experience in commercial real estate, however, students with residential real estate experience will also benefit from the concepts, application, and analysis provided in the courses,” said Collete English Dixon, executive director of Roosevelt’s Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate. “It also provides the flexibility for those who complete the program to apply earned credits toward a graduate degree at a later date.”
For more information on the certificate program, contact Collete English Dixon at cenglishdixon@Roosevelt.edu or (312) 341-3767.
The Institute also offers an undergraduate major in real estate toward a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree and two graduate degree programs, the Master of Science in Real Estate and the Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Real Estate. These degree programs offer specialized classes and an inter-disciplinary approach combining urban economics with “hands-on” real estate learning.
Since its founding in 2002, the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate has grown to become one of the most diverse graduate real estate programs in the country and has more than 300 graduates, many of whom work at Chicago firms. For more information, please visit www.roosevelt.edu/realestate.
Important information about the educational debt, earnings, and completion rates of students who attended this program can be found here.
Spring Update from Collete English Dixon, Executive Director
At Roosevelt University and the Marshall Bennett Institute, along with many other colleges and universities, mid-terms are coming to a close and spring break is about to begin. This half-way point in the academic semester is often met with wistfulness (how quickly the weeks have flown!) and anxiety (how much more to do before finals and graduation!), but the best part of it is that we get to take a breather for a few days before the run to the end-zone begins.
This is when we finalize the course catalog for the coming academic year and turn focused attention on course development and enrollment. At the Institute, we are working on our Graduate Certificates in Real Estate Finance & Investment and in Real Estate Development and are hopeful to announce their availability in the next few months. We are also working on a course in Real Estate Technology and Trends, and are working to establish concentrated courses in ARGUS and Excel modeling for our students. With respect to enrollment, Roosevelt has rolling admissions so students can apply to the graduate program until August 1. If you are thinking about moving forward with your graduate degree and would like to learn about some of the scholarships available, please attend our Scholarship Fair on April 1. You can RSVP to Janice Cox at jcox17@roosevelt.edu.
The next “big thing” at the Institute will be this summer’s 12-day Immersion Program in Commercial Real Estate for high school students. This program, produced by the partnership of NAIOP (national and local) and REEC (the Real Estate Executive Council) in conjunction with NEXUS, will bring 28-32 rising high school juniors and seniors to the Roosevelt University campus to immerse them in the commercial real estate industry. The intended outcome is to impress them with the wide-ranging opportunities so they consider college selections through the lens of programs that will prepare them to pursue those careers and then they enter the pipeline of talent as interns and graduates. We are very excited to host this program at Roosevelt and believe this will be an impactful way to enhance the talent pipeline for the industry and maybe secure some undergraduates for our new real estate major. If you have an interest in working with us on this program, please contact me at cenglishdixon@roosevelt.edu or 312-341-3767 or Oscar Groves (ogroves@reec.org). We hope that Chicago’s real estate community will step up to actively sponsor the programming and provide scholarships for less-advantaged students to attend.
Regards,
Collete English Dixon, Executive Director
Collete English Dixon Podcast on Real Estate for Breakfast
Executive Director Collete English Dixon was interviewed by Clark Hill’s Real Estate for Breakfast podcast. Listen here as she discusses, among other topics:
1. Programs offered by the school, including the upcoming certificate program.
2. The importance of the involvement of the Advisory Board, which is unique to the school
3. How the school provides a pipeline of talent to the industry
4. Which students are best suited for the program
5. The value of external educational and networking programs such as the pioneering Fogelson Forum on Real Estate and the annual Real Estate Gala.
https://www.realestatebreakfast.com/real-estate-for-breakfast
A letter from Collete English Dixon, Executive Director
The spring semester is in full swing at the Institute and the University. While the spring semester is often overshadowed by the anticipated graduation in May, the spring is also a great time for us to advance new academic initiatives and work on student enrollment for future semesters.
We now have some declared real estate majors in the undergraduate program and we are working closely with the University’s enrollment office to expand that group through transfer students and freshman recruiting. An upcoming summer program, a 12-day intensive in real estate that is targeted to rising juniors and seniors in high school, will hopefully broaden awareness of both the industry as a strong and exciting career path and of our program and its benefits for preparing young talent for the industry. I will share more details on this summer program next month.
As you know, real estate industry talent does not have to come from academic backgrounds totally focused on real estate. In recognition of that, we are working through the approval process to establish a real estate minor in the Heller College of Business so that undergraduate students in other majors, within or outside of the Heller College, can take real estate courses and potentially choose to pursue careers in the real estate industry.
On the graduate level, we are excited about the Graduate Certificate programs that we expect to launch this fall. These certificates, which initially will be in Real Estate Finance and Investment and in Real Estate Development, will be complements to the MSRE and MBA-RE degrees, providing graduate level knowledge for anyone interested in the industry or needing additional educational training for their careers, but who don’t think that completing a degree program is necessary or desired. There are many ways to provide knowledge and to help train and develop industry talent and these certificates are just the beginning of many creative educational initiatives we are considering.
I want to express my appreciation to the Institute Advisory Board, industry leaders who give their time and other resources to support our student success and our Institute’s efforts. We are excited to welcome three new Board members, Molly Phelan of Siegel Jennings; Kathy Hurst of Moran and Company and Bija Bennett, who is committed to carry on the involvement and support provided by her dad, Marshall Bennett, and The Bennett Family.
If you have an interest in working with us to advance the development and education of the future leaders of the real estate, please contact me at cenglishdixon@roosevelt.edu.
Collete English Dixon
Executive Director
Roosevelt Graduate Students Advance Chicago Companies through Real Estate Management Plans
Family-run real estate companies as well as large, established property firms often struggle to find the time to develop comprehensive management plans, holistic strategies, and operational benchmarks. Enter graduate students in the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate. Each fall, students select 2-3 companies as clients and complete a comprehensive real estate management plan for their selected company, patterned after the Institute of Real Estate Management’s (IREM) plan required for the Certified Property Manager designation.
“Students examine all aspects of a company’s operations, organizational structure, market positioning, and more, for providing their client with invaluable data and actionable insights,” said Dr. David Funk, Pasquinelli Family Chair in Real Estate and course instructor.
This fall, retail, multi-family, and office/industrial company portfolios were studied for clients Mid-America Asset Management, Inc., AMLI/Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, and Mako Properties. Mako Properties, a three-generation family firm started by Boris Nitchoff in the 1980s, was selected as a client at the urging of Lauren Nitchoff, granddaughter, employee, and graduate student in the Roosevelt Program.
“I came to the US (from Macedonia) not speaking much English, and just got into real estate,” said Boris Nitchoff, adding that running a fully integrated company that includes construction left little time for the operational benchmarking and strategic planning that the Institute’s team provided. The management plan provided incredible detail, market analysis, and organizational strategies that could lead to significant strategic changes for the company, noted Lauren’s father, Alex Nitchoff.
AMLI is a national apartment developer/owner/manager with a significant presence in Chicagothat, along with architecture firm Skidmore, Ownings, and Merrill, sought outside market and property management analysis for their building at 900 S. Clark. The team’s analysis affirmed AMLI’s strong operational efficiencies and quantified the net present value of a number of alternative courses of action. Placement of the AMLI 900 building within the current multi-family market context and putting value enhancement returns to operational decisions was particularly useful, noted Dan Gladden, president of the east region of AMLI Management and president of the Chicagoland Apartment Association’s Board of Directors. “The opportunity to work with (AMLI and SOM) to study the property and asset management issues of the building from the ground up was a great learning experience,” said Lilian Yool, one of the project’s students.
Mid-America Asset Management, Inc. sponsored the third project, which focused on a shopping center located at Howard and Western Avenues in Chicago. Benchmarking operations, market comps, and logistical recommendations highlighted the retail management plan. “ One of our takeaways was understanding the strong management that was in place, and development of a profile for effective retail property management”, said Angelo Demeros, one of the student project leaders.
Students in the program are pursuing the Masters of Science in Real Estate (MSRE), and look to advance careers in real estate finance, investment, development and other real estate industry fields. The students are also eligible to use their management plan experience as part of the application for IREM’s Certified Property Manager.
To learn more about the Roosevelt University program in real estate contact Collete English Dixon, Executive Director, Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate at cenglishdixon@roosevelt.edu or visit our webpages at Roosevelt.edu/realestate.
Student and Alumni Success Stories
Darius Munchow
Congratulations to MBIRE grad Darius Munchow on his promotion at Waterton where he previously served as Corporate Hospitality Intern. In his new role as an Analyst, he is assisting with Waterton’s current hotel portfolio. He will be focusing on their financial goals, budgets, financing, and ensuring that all properties run smoothly. Darius obtained his Masters of Science in Real Estate this summer.
Severa Davis
Congratulations to alumnae and Goldie Scholar Sevara Davis, MBA – RE: August 2008, who was recently promoted to Director of Real Estate at Chicago Public Schools, where she manages a real estate portfolio of over 60 million SF, including 740 school properties, parking lots, administrative offices, vacant land, and more than 400 leases and/or license agreements.
She previously worked at the GSA, was a Regional Facility Manager for JLL and an Asset Manager at the IL Housing Development Authority. Sevara was also a Realtor at Keller William Realty. She earned her BS in Finance and MBA, Real Estate from Roosevelt University, where she was a Goldie Scholar.
Irene Papierek, Property Manager at Lillibridge Healthcare Services, has been named one of Goldie’s Scholars! Irene is pursuing a Master of Science in Real Estate and currently manages approximately 400,000 square feet of medical office space in Chicago’s western suburbs. She is active in BOMA/Suburban Chicago and is a licensed Illinois real estate broker. MBIRE helped to launch the Goldie Initiative in 2007.
Andrew Griffin has been named Talent Coordinator for Trudo Realty, a full-service Brokerage focused on rental finding services. In this role, he will be overseeing the growth of the business by onboarding new agents, guiding them through the training program, and keeping up with their successes.
Kiana Richard has been selected as one of NAIOP Chicago’s 2018/2019 scholars. In addition to the tuition assistance, the recipients of the University Scholarship also receive a one-year NAIOP membership, and many other benefits.
A Letter from Collete English Dixon, Executive Director
The start of September always reminds me of a new school year’s rapid approach. While most colleges’ fall semesters begin before Labor Day, the holiday to me marks an unofficial switch from summer to fall.
Fall 2018 also marks the start of my second academic year as executive director of the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate at Roosevelt University. I eagerly anticipate meeting a new cohort of students in our Master of Science and Master of Business Administration–Real Estate programs and supporting their new experiences as they pursue their advanced degrees.
Additionally, I am excited to connect with high school and community college students interested in real estate to inform them of Roosevelt’s new Bachelor of Science in Real Estate degree, and how our program can help them pursue a successful career in this multi-faceted industry. I am also thrilled to advance our connections within the real estate industry in Chicago and throughout the Midwest,tobring that knowledge and expertise to our students andthe industry at large through ourAdvisory Board and educational programs.
In particular, our upcoming Fogelson Forum on September 27 will bring Curt Bailey, president of Related Midwest, and his team to discuss “The 78,”a proposed new neighborhood near Chicago’s South Loop. It’s a bold and ambitious plan, but as architect Daniel Burnham said, “Make no small plans.” If you would like to attend, please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fall-2018-gerald-fogelson-forum-tickets-48935993875. Attendance is limited to 125, so be sure to register soon to not miss out.
Also guided by Burnham’s stirring words, the Marshall Bennett Institute’s Annual Gala will honor the talents and success of two world-renowned, Chicago-based architects, Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill of Smith+Gill Architecture. The key fundraising dinner event will be a great networking opportunity, in addition to acknowledging the impact these two talented architects have on Chicago and the world with their incredible buildings and spaces. I hope that you will consider joining us on November 8 at the Four Seasons to honor the industry achievements of Adrian and Gordon. For more information, please visit www.roosevelt.edu/realestate.
The new school year has begun and schedules are filling fast! Here’s to a successful start to fall for everyone. Please reach out to the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estateif we can be of any assistance.
A new school year begins and the schedule fills up fast! Here’s to a successful fall and winter for everyone. Please reach out if we can be of any assistance at the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate. I am always happy to discuss the career benefits of our courses, programs and events.
Collete English Dixon, 312 -341-3767 or cenglishdixon@roosevelt.edu.