Featured News

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Fall Board Meeting Recap: "Real Estate in Recovery: Navigating a New World of Risk and Reward" The desire to examine how the events of the world ripple through so many aspects of our global life is critical to business leaders today. It was this drive to understand and explore "Real Estate in Recovery: Navigating a New World of Risk and Reward" that brought together industry leaders, academic experts and the world-class MBA students of the Graaskamp Center at the 2011 Fall Board Meeting on October 19 and 20 in Madison. Read more.

From Brazil to DC -- Real Estate MBA Students Gain Valuable Work Experience During Summer Internships Wisconsin real estate MBA students bring impressive energy and passion to the classroom as they explore the latest approaches to improving our urban environment. Over the summer term, they take that talent and drive into the professional world, interning at companies from neighboring states as well as neighboring continents. Read more.

Daniel McCaffery Selected as E.J. Plesko Distinguished Speaker in Real Estate Development Daniel McCaffery, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of McCaffery Interests, will share his vast real estate development expertise, experience and knowledge during the E. J. Plesko Distinguished Speaker Series at 10:30 am on Friday, November 11. Real Estate undergraduate and MBA students, alumni, and Graaskamp Center board members are invited to attend the presentation. The presentation will be followed by a Q & A session. Read more.

Housing-Urban-Labor-Macro (HULM) Conference Explores Causes and Consequences of the Housing Crisis at the Chicago Fed The University of Wisconsin-Madison has long been known as a leader in research, including cutting-edge explorations of housing and economic issues conducted by the UW-Madison real estate faculty. Compelling real-life problems challenge these leading academics to find unique solutions for improving our urban environment worldwide. Read more.

Undergrads Head to Munich for Expo Real For the fifth year in a row, a group of enthusiastic undergraduate students from the Wisconsin School of Business traveled to Munich, Germany to attend Expo Real, one of the largest real estate conferences in the world. The trip was led by Faculty Associate Joe Walsh, who was also a presenter at the Expo Real's Career Day panel. Read more.

Real Estate Club Invades the Mile-High Market The destination for this semester's Real Estate Club trip was Denver and Boulder, CO. We were able to get an inside look at some of the largest projects (both recently completed and still in progress) in the area. We began our first day with a presentation by Bill Mosher of Trammel Crow Company regarding the extensive Denver Union Station project. Read more.

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Student Update

New Real Estate Students Start the Fall Semester Looking Ahead to Career Opportunities
Hire Wisconsin's best and brightest for internships, special projects or permanent positions! For MBA students, contact MBA Career Services at (608) 265-2353 or Sharon McCabe at (608) 890-2493 and for undergraduate students, contact the Business Career Center at (608) 265-3771 or Joe Walsh at (608) 890-2914.

Faculty & Staff News

Michael Brennan Delivers Introductory Remarks at PREA's Graaskamp Award
On October 18 in Chicago, Graaskamp Center Executive Director Michael Brennan delivered the introductory remarks for PREA's biennial James A. Graaskaamp award presented to an individual whose research, in the spirit of the late James A. Graaskamp, has advanced the common body of knowledge in the area of institutional real estate investment. This year's award was presented to David Geltner, Professor of Real Estate Finance and Director of Research in the Center for Real Estate at MIT. Read Michael Brennan's remarks.

Tim Riddiough Explores "Can Securitization Work? Economic, Structural and Policy Considerations"
Structured asset securitization is capable of generating a number of economic benefits, including liquidity provision, an increased ability to manage risk, and value enhancement through the pooling and partitioning of cash flows. But the recent financial crisis has exposed numerous structural flaws, which has led many observers to question whether asset- and mortgage-backed securities should be classified as financial "weapons of mass destruction" that require strict containment and possibly even elimination. In his recent paper, Professor Tim Riddough considers the fundamental economic tradeoffs associated with securitization, with an eye towards policy development, concluding that asset securitization can work. Read more.

Faculty Activities
The driving force behind the Wisconsin Real Estate Program is the intellectual leadership that the faculty and lecturers provide in academic research, business practice and teaching. Our faculty continue to make important contributions in all these areas. Read more.

Alumni News & Events

The Wisconsin Real Estate Alumni Association (WREAA) Events
From conferences to golf outings, the Wisconsin Real Estate Alumni Association (WREAA) has a variety of fun and informative activities for alumni to connect with each other. Learn more about WREAA activities.

Madison-Area Alums Invited to the Western Wisconsin Reception on November 17
On November 17, Wisconsin real estate alumni will have the opportunity to hear George Austin (past president of the Overture Foundation) discuss the proposed redevelopment of the 100 block of State Street. The event will be held at the Overture Center (upper lobby - 3rd floor) from 6:00 to 9:00 pm on Thursday, November 17 (appetizers and cash bar). RSVP on the WREAA website.

Graaskamp Center Board Update

Welcome New Board Member Robert Kukulka
We are pleased to welcome Robert Kukulka to the Graaskamp Board of Advisors. Mr. Kukulka currently works as the Managing Director at Loan Management Solutions (LMS) based in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to joining LMS, he served as the head of Credit & Asset Management at Fund Core Finance Group and where he was a member of the Investment Committee. Read more.