Real Estate in the VSB Curriculum

The DiLella Center for Real Estate is changing the face of business education at Villanova.  New courses in real estate have been introduced and both an undergraduate co-major and minor and graduate MBA concentration in real estate are now available to students. Click here to learn more about VSB's real estate academic programs.

The VSB Real Estate Community

The center strives to mobilize the Villanova real estate community through industry events and networking opportunities.

An important component of the center's mission is to serve as a major thought leadership resource within the business community for real estate expertise. To this end, the center sponsored several events this academic year examining current real estate issues:

• Commercial Real Estate Career Conference

(October 28, 2010)

This October, the center welcomed more than 40 real estate companies and 100 students to its fourth annual Commercial Real Estate Career Conference. Brian O’Neill, chairman and CEO of O’Neill Properties Group provided the keynote address, while a panel of recent real estate alumni shared their insights on the transition from student to professional. The event concluded with a networking reception, providing student attendees with the opportunity to connect with real estate employers and to learn about some of the many career paths offered within real estate.

• Breakfast with the CEO featuring Mr. Leo S. Ullman of Cedar Shopping Centers (Thursday, February 24, 2011)

The event featured one of the most dynamic and accomplished leader’s in the retail real estate industry and a rare opportunity to hear firsthand, the secrets to his success. Leo S. Ullman is Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President at Cedar Shopping Centers, Inc. headquartered in Port Washington, NY. Cedar Shopping Centers, Inc. is a self-managed real estate investment trust focused on supermarket-anchored shopping centers and drug store-anchored convenience centers located predominantly in the Northeast. Since its public offering in October 2003, Cedar has realized significant growth in assets and shareholder value. The event brought over 100 members to campus.

Video of this event is available at: http://vumslx.vuad.villanova.edu/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=6920e8c1ec064e4492da5225b79db7681d 

• Public vs. Private Ownership within the Hospitality Industry (Friday, April 8, 2011)

This intimate roundtable discussion offered real estate faculty from programs throughout the nation the opportunity to engage in discussion with hospitality industry leaders. Hospitality is one of the least explored real estate market sectors offering participants a rare opportunity to learn about the market and the differences in philosophy between REITs and Private Equity owners. Dmitiri Ivanov – Director of Strategy and Corporate Development, Hersha Hospitality Trust; Glenn Alba – Managing Director, The Blackstone Group; Brian DiDonato – Managing Director, Sorin Capital Management and Ketan Vora – Principal, Edgewater Group LLC each provided insights from their perspective prior to opening the floor for discussion. The discussion focused on the differences found as a result of each structure within the continuum from owning the real estate and operating the hotels to a pure management model.

DiLella Center for Real Estate in the Media

Center director Shawn Howton has been featured as a real estate expert by both print and broadcast media outlets. Howton has commented on issues including the subprime mortgage crisis, the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac takeover, and the real estate implications of the investment banking crisis.

The center's establishment was featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Business Journal, and GlobeSt.com.