About the Center
The Samuel Zell and Robert Lurie Real Estate Center was named in recognition of its permanent endowment by Samuel Zell in 1998. The Center was established in 1983 by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania to promote excellence in real estate education and research. The Center brings academia and the leaders of industry together to create a unique resource for students, faculty, and members.
Research
The Zell/Lurie Center promotes and funds scholarly research on topics of interest to our industry.
- Research conducted by the Real Estate Department's standing and affiliated faculty is augmented by post-doctoral researchers and/or research specialists.
- Findings have been published in leading academic real estate journals, The Wharton Real Estate Review and in the Center's Working Paper Series.
Education & Scholarship
- The Zell/Lurie Center works with the Wharton Real Estate Department faculty to foster excellence in real estate education.
- The Center helps develop curriculum for the Real Estate Department, consistently ranked best in the country by US News & World Report.
- Committed to excellence in education, the Center awards fellowships and scholarships to promising real estate students. Many of these are funded by our members.
Meetings & Lecture Series
- Our Spring and Fall Members' Meetings provide unequaled networking opportunities and an extraordinary forum for students, faculty and prominent real estate executives to discuss relevant industry concerns. The Fall Meeting is for members only and their guests. Non-members may attend the Spring Meeting for a fee.
- The Eric and Beth Schlager Lecture Series was established in 2006 in order to enable the Center to bring in outstanding real estate entrepreneurs to deliver lectures to the Wharton community about their unique experiences. The Lecture Series provides our community with an invaluable opportunity to hear from and interact with these notable entrepreneurs. Past Lecturers have included Thomas J. Barrack, Jr., the Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Colony Capital, LLC; real estate titan Sam Zell, Chairman of Equity Group Investments; Jeff Blau, Chief Executive Officer of Related Companies; Roy Hilton March, Chief Executive Officer of Eastdil Secured; Keith Gelb, Managing Member and Co-Founder of Rockpoint Group, LLC; Doug Abrams, Founder of Abrams Capital Group; John Grayken, Chairman, Lone Star Funds; Spencer B. Haber, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, H/2 Capital Partners; Matt Lustig, Chairman of Investment Banking, North America; Head of Real Estate & Lodging, Lazard; Ron Kravit, Senior Managing Director, Defense, Cerberus Capital Management L.P; MaryAnne Gilmartin, founder and CEO, MAG Partners; and James Cohen, Chief Executive Officer & Chairman, Hudson Capital Properties.
Other Initiatives & Outreach
- The Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center supports and extends the globalization initiatives of the Wharton School through its annual Singapore and London programs.
- The Center also serves as a liaison between Wharton faculty and students and business professionals through the Ballard Executive Visitor Series, named in honor of the late Claude Ballard, who established the Center's first endowment.