NSU Graduate Students Competing in Collegiate Real Estate Challenge

Michael Maxwell, interim chair of the M.S. in Real Estate Development program at NSU's Huizenga School of Business, (second from right) and Mark Peterson, vice president at Bank of America, with the seven NSU graduate students competing in the Collegiate Real Estate Challenge.

Seven students from the Master of Science in Real Estate Development program at NSU’s H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship are competing in the inaugural Collegiate Real Estate Challenge hosted by the South Florida Chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP).

The challenge, which started in January, features the NSU students competing against a team of students from the University of Miami. The teams have been tasked with creating a development strategy for a major transit station in downtown Miami. Each team will provide a written report and make oral presentations to a panel of judges comprised of industry leaders in real estate development. The teams will be judged on the proposed project’s overall concept, economic and market feasibility, practicality, and viability for implementation.

The final presentations will be given to the judges and NAIOP attendees at an awards ceremony on Apr. 8 in the Miniaci Performing Arts Center on NSU’s main campus. The winning team will be announced following the presentations at a reception in the Carl DeSantis Building. The winning team’s school will receive a traveling trophy, public recognition and a complimentary one-year membership to NAIOP.

Flagler, one of Florida’s oldest and largest full-service commercial real estate companies, is sponsoring the challenge and has provided its downtown Miami site that spans approximately eight acres as the case study for the competition. As assigned by NAIOP, the NSU team has been working with the Boca Raton-based firm of RLC Architects.

“This challenge is giving our students a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience,” said Michael Maxwell, interim chair of the M.S. in Real Estate Development program at NSU’s Huizenga School of Business. “The team is working with South Florida’s real estate industry leaders face-to-face, gaining first-hand knowledge and solid insight which is allowing them to create innovative solutions that — if put into action — could build lasting value and create significant new opportunities for transit-oriented development in downtown Miami.”

The presentations and awards ceremony on Apr. 8 begins at 5:30 p.m. The cost is $20 for students, $30 for NAIOP members, and $50 for non-members. More information is available at http://www.naiopsfl.org/ or by emailing collegechallenge@naiopsfl.org.

The M.S. in Real Estate Development program at NSU’s Huizenga School of Business is a unique program in which leading professionals in the industry teach students the skills and knowledge needed for a career in real estate development, finance and management. The program’s graduates are hired at leading real estate development, asset management, marketing and investment companies throughout the region. More information is available at http://www.nova.edu/business/.

Cutline: Michael Maxwell, interim chair of the M.S. in Real Estate Development program at NSU’s Huizenga School of Business, (second from right) and Mark Peterson, vice president at Bank of America, with the seven NSU graduate students competing in the Collegiate Real Estate Challenge.