NYU School of Professional Studies Schack Institute of Real Estate Introduces Ground-Breaking, Student-Run REIT Investment Fund

Initiative Builds Upon NYU SPS’ Mission to Deliver Relevant, Applied Learning Experiences to Its Students

NEW YORK, April 19, 2023 – Today, at its 27^th Annual REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) Symposium, the NYU School of Professional Studies (NYUSPS) Schack Institute of Real Estate unveiled a ground-breaking, student-run REIT Investment Fund, giving students hands-on, real-world experience in real estate securities investment management.

The Schack REIT Center’s REIT Investment Fund will provide Schack students with an opportunity to apply and integrate real estate institute teachings in the pursuit of investment management experience and results. Key skills that students will learn through their participation in this initiative include:

• Industry and sector analysis;
• Accounting and financial analysis;
• Security analysis and portfolio management; and
• Presentation skills to a range of peers and key stakeholders.

“We are excited to bring more experiential learning to the classroom that will prepare Schack students to gain additional skills as they prepare for careers in the real estate industry. The data analytics and drivers of financial success for companies in real estate have been incredibly dynamic over the past few years, and enabling students to analyze financials and make real-time decisions through the investment fund is a great platform to teach students," said NYU SPS Dean Angie Kamath.

“Giving students the ability to apply information from the classroom to live, complex investments in the real world will give them a leg up and better prepare them for entering the industry,” said Marc Norman, Larry & Klara Silverstein Chair in Real Estate Development and Investment, and associate dean of the NYU SPS Schack Institute of Real Estate.

According to Scott Robinson, director of the Schack REIT Center and who will be the faculty advisor for the REIT Investment Fund, “This initiative will give our students a unique and valuable opportunity to run a real securities portfolio, learn to preserve and grow the Fund, and think and operate like investment principals, while further developing career-critical communication and team skills.”

Initial funding for the REIT Investment Fund will come from the generous support of REIT Symposium Sponsors. The Fund will invest only in US-listed REITs, Real Estate Operating Companies (REOCs), and homebuilders, and may not use derivatives or incur leverage. Any earnings will be reinvested in the Fund. In addition, strict trading, auditing, compliance and other measures will be adhered to for the Fund.

All Fund roles, including fund president, portfolio manager, sector strategists, and traders, will be selected from currently matriculated students during the summer 2023. The Fund’s Advisory Board will be comprised of experienced industry leaders and professionals.

Additional information about The REIT Investment Fund, which will begin operations for the Fall 2023 semester in September, will be available on Schack’s REIT Center webpage in the coming weeks.

About the NYU School of Professional Studies Schack Institute of Real Estate
The NYU School of Professional Studies (NYUSPS) Schack Institute of Real Estate was founded in 1967 at the initiative of prominent members of the New York City real estate community, who encouraged NYU to establish an academic center that would provide a world-class education for industry professionals. More than 50 years later, the Schack Institute is at the forefront of real estate education and is recognized globally as one of the world’s leading centers of real estate research and pedagogy. Across the Institute’s graduate degree programs—notably the MS in Real Estate, the MS in Construction Management, and the MS in Real Estate Development—as well as a rapidly expanding undergraduate degree program, enrollment has grown to more than 1,000 full- and part-time students from across the United States and nearly 50 other countries. In addition to its flagship degree programs, thousands of working professionals enroll in the Schack Institute’s executive education, diploma, and career advancement programs each year.

An anchor of real estate academia’s engagement with industry, the Institute is home to the REIT Center, the Center for the Sustainable Built Environment, and the newly established Urban Lab. In addition, the Institute hosts national industry events, including annual conferences on real estate capital markets and the REIT sector. Under the direction of the Schack Institute’s faculty, ongoing applied research at the Institute spans an exceptional range of issues in real estate development and investment, urban economics, and market structure and regulation.

NYU School of Professional Studies
For nearly 90 years, the NYU School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS) has been a deeply respected institution of higher education grounded in applied learning. From its early years, training returning World War II veterans to fulfill the nation’s urgent need for skilled technical workers, it has evolved into a professional education powerhouse that offers 21 graduate degrees, 13 bachelor’s degrees for traditional and degree completion students, four associate degrees, and a plethora of continuing education courses and credentials.

Home to some of the largest and most prestigious industry conferences in the world, including the NYU SPS Institute on Federal Taxation, the Schack Institute of Real Estate’s Capital Markets Conference, REIT Symposium, and National Symposium of Women in Real Estate; the Jonathan M. Tisch Center’s International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference, and the NYU Coaching and Technology Summit, the School’s invaluable connections to industry leaders is a truly distinguishing factor in the education that it provides. Through career development services and resources provided by the NYU Wasserman Center for Career Development at NYU SPS, guest lecturers, site visits, participation in numerous conferences and events, and Global Field Intensives, students benefit from an NYU education that will set them apart. In addition, they can learn from and network with more than 41,000 NYU SPS alumni who live, work, and contribute to innovation in global industries. To learn more about NYU SPS, visit sps.nyu.edu.