Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Real Estate News
When Kelley Smith, Principal of Kensington Reality Advisors, Inc. first found out that the University of Wisconsin-Madison had never been the recipient of an Urban Land Institute library, she was shocked. “UW-Madison is one of the first, if not the first, universities in the country to offer undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in real estate and is a very prestigious, well-regarded program.”
Soon after learning that UW was not on the list of past recipients, she worked hard to secure an unanticipated gift to the UW as she successfully lobbied for the James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate to be awarded a complete library from Urban Land Institute.
Smith was Chair of the Industrial and Office Park Council - Blue Flight and as a result of her leadership was able to achieve 100 percent member participation in the 2007 campaign to raise money for the ULI Foundation. Because it achieved 100% member participation, Smith’s council had the opportunity to award a ULI Library to a university of its choice. Picking UW-Madison was an easy decision, Smith asserts.
In her proposal, she cites UW’s real estate program as one of the world’s best in real estate education, research, and outreach/service. From the very birth of the program led by the legendary James Graaskamp to the present day, UW’s celebrated program has consistently remained on the forefront of the real estate industry. In addition, because Smith is married to UW Real Estate alumnus Jim Smith (MA), she has had the ability to witness the program’s myriad contributions first-hand.
The gift to the Center includes a three-year site license subscription to ULI Development Case Studies, which is an online database of more than 450 full-length case studies, a three-year associate public sector membership and a complete set of ULI books. Faculty and students will gain access to the best in development practices, practical, how-to information, land use issues, and the insights of seasoned professionals. All ¬¬94 ULI books are included, and any new books that are published will be immediately sent to UW-Madison.
For more information on the Urban Land Institute, visit ULI.org.