The Karen and Asuka Nakahara Fund for Student Success and Teaching Innovation.
To celebrate Asuka, we are thrilled to fundraise for the Karen and Asuka Nakahara Fund for Student Success and Teaching Innovation.
The Center is excited to introduce this Fund to mark the culmination of Asuka’s more than 25 years of monumental contributions to the Wharton Real Estate Department as well as to the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center. Since joining us in 1999, Asuka has taught more than 1300 students in his Real Estate Development course and helped to launch the careers of generations of real estate professionals. Asuka is the most decorated teacher in the history of the Wharton Real Estate Department. He won the prestigious Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence by Non-Standing Faculty. For many years, he also served as the Associate Director for Zell/Lurie. In April, Asuka delivered his final lecture to students and will transition to Practice Professor Emeritus of Real Estate.
This Fund will enable the Center to continue the legacy of Asuka to connect students to industry leaders and to spur teaching innovation. The Fund will be administered by the Zell/Lurie Director. Examples of uses of funds include the engagement of Senior Fellows (executives-in-residence who coach students and connect them with real estate professionals), organizing industry workshops to expose students to skills and tools used by practitioners, integrating AI tools and vibe coding in classes, writing new cases to teach students to apply judgement to AI output. This is a permanent Fund that will remain open for contributions.
For questions or more information regarding the Karen and Asuka Nakahara Fund for Student Success and Teaching Innovation, please call Rachel Pearson at (215) 746-8098 or email her at rachpear@wharton.upenn.edu.