As announced at the Fall 2024 Members’ Meeting, Professor Joe Gyourko is stepping down as the Director of the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center at the Wharton School after 27 years of outstanding leadership. Joe’s vision and dedication have truly shaped the Real Estate Center into the renowned institution it is today, and the Center is delighted to continue its core missions under the guidance of our upcoming Director, Maisy Wong. At our most recent Spring Members’ Meeting, we paid tribute to Joe and celebrated his enormous accomplishments in academia and the industry as a whole. Watch the tribute video honoring Joe created by the Center here.
In addition to the thousands of students Professor Gyourko has taught, since becoming the Center Director in 1998, he has led a successful expansion of the real estate academic program. The number of real estate faculty doubled, ensuring consistency in the staffing of real estate courses. The Center expanded internationally through the Grayken Program in International Real Estate. Professor Gyourko also steered the Center through the Great Financial Crisis and the pandemic, in addition to serving as the Department Chair for 10 years.
The Center would like to recognize Professor Gyourko’s impact on the real estate program and the profession by funding the Joe Gyourko Pre-Doctoral Fellowship. Research has always been Professor Gyourko’s passion throughout his career. He had the foresight to pioneer a Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Program to attract young aspiring scholars interested in the study of real estate. These programs are now emulated in other universities and the fellowships serve as a crucial pipeline for future real estate faculty. Fellows spend two years engaging in cutting edge analytics research under the mentorship of real estate faculty before going on to top PhD programs, including Harvard, Stanford, and Chicago.
We aim to raise $2.0 million for a Pre-Doctoral Fellowship which will be named for Professor Gyourko. We are asking if you would join us in honoring Professor Gyourko’s vision and lasting impact. Your contribution is an endorsement of the vision for the future of real estate education and a testament to your continued belief in the power of investing in the leaders of tomorrow.
For questions or more information regarding the Joe Gyourko Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, please call (215) 746-8098 or email wrec@wharton.upenn.edu.
