The ideal 'win-win' relationship: Ball State University's Residential Property Management Program is developing well-rounded apartment management candidates ready to take off on an accelerated career path.

Ball State University's (BSU) Residential Property Management (RPM) program celebrated its fifth anniversary with an on-campus luncheon in February that featured its alumni, current students and faculty.

The RPM program has made tremendous strides during those years under program director Carla Earhart, a BSU Professor. Ball State has included study materials and supporting lecture material that allow students to sit for the Certified Apartment Manager (CAM) and National Apartment Leasing Professional (NALP) exams, offered a master's degree in RPM, designed an online property management course for distance learners and has expanded its overall curriculum to include government housing, marketing/leasing and valuation of multifamily housing investments.

Ball State University (BSU), located in Muncie, Ind., also has hired former industry professional and long-time NAA Regional Vice President Dr. Howard Campbell, CPM, to its faculty.

Together, this has made BSU an excellent recruitment resource for apartment management firms. BSU's RPM Advisory Board, under the guidance of Sue H. Whitaker, Ph.D., comprises more than 30 industry professionals. It meets with BSU students, presents adjunct lectures and is available for one-on-one career counseling with students. The advisory board also provides an opportunity for BSU students to serve in internships, where they gain first-hand knowledge of the industry by working onsite.

The RPM curriculum combines aspects of housing and business, preparing students for the challenges involved in the design, marketing and management of multifamily living environments. Students also take courses in real estate, accounting, marketing, management, customer relations, housing, interior design and construction.

"While studying as an undergrad and while earning my master's, I became very book-smart in terms of apartment management," said 2001 graduate Emily Lah, CAM, an Asset Oversight and Compliance Manager for an affordable housing management company in Austin, Texas. "When I turned professional, I found out you really need street smarts, which came once I got onsite with my job."

Lah, who earned a master's degree in RPM, said, "Attending BSU was the best thing for me in helping me start my career. I was able to advance so much faster in the industry because of what I learned at BSU."

David Hinds, CAM, a 2001 graduate now working as an Assistant Community Director in Charlotte, N.C., said he encourages all RPM students to become innately acquainted with both small and large companies, a perspective that BSU's RPM students gain during their studies.

Jill Dewing, CAM, CAPS, a 2000 graduate and Leasing Director at Mark III Apartments in Indianapolis, said she appreciated the opportunities that the BSU Advisory Board offered. "The advisory board was a great way for us to make contacts and network with professionals in the apartment industry," Dewing said.

Kathy Ranes, who became active in the program in 2004, is a Training and Development Coordinator with Marquette Companies, based in Romeoville, III. She said the advisory board has a wonderful give-give relationship with the students.

"We get a chance to see the industry through the students' eyes," Ranes said. "and, it offers our companies a chance to look for recruits as interns or full-time staff. The students get the opportunity to speak with and learn from industry professionals who have lived it, done it and are doing it every day in our business."

Ranes said programs such as BSU's have helped raise the bar in terms of people who are entering the property, management profession.

"A couple of decades ago, our industry had been viewed as sort of a mom-and-pop operation," Ranes said. "But that is not the case anymore. It is very refreshing to see the kind of student who is coming out of these programs. They are well-rounded with knowledge in everything from maintenance to landscaping to accounting to personnel management."

BSU is one of several college programs that offers degrees in residential property management. (See chart.) Programs at Curry College in Milton, Mass., Georgia Tech and San Diego State are all in the development stages. Each plans to offer courses within the next year.

Emily Lah, CAM (Class of 2001)

Family Lah, originally set out to major in social work and interior design but found that decorating wasn't for her. "The salaries that are paid in social work weren't what I was looking for." Lah stud. "but I wanted to help people. When t heard about the residential property management major, it sounded like a perfect fit."

She worked three internships while attending Ball State and earned her CAM designation and then a master's degree. The topic of her master's thesis was leasing professional turnover.

Lah earned a master's of science degree in one year, and one week later, she began working as an Assistant Manager at a 494-unit community in Austin, Texas. One and a half years later she was hired as an Asset Oversight and Compliance Manager at the Texas State Affordable Housing Corp. (TSAHC) in Austin, a quasi-state agency that deals with bonds and financing. Lah is in charge of asset oversight for 84 communities and asset compliance for 38 communities (22.452 total units).

Oversight Duties Lah reviews the physical properties of the community and checks account ledgers and work logs to make sure the necessary work is completed. She studies the crime reports for her communities over the three months prior to a visit so that TSAHC can assist the community managers with overcoming challenges such as domestic violence or car thefts.

"A lot of crime is not reported, so when we visit the community, we check for graffiti, loitering, gangs, drug traffic or if the laundry room door has been broken." Lah said. "We then assess what the community is doing in response, such as community patrol, access gates or onsite security.

Compliance Duties Lah sees that all paperwork is performed and entered correctly. She checks that the community is providing necessary resident services, such as English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. She ensures that the overall quality of living is up to standards and that the residents' income level is within the acceptable guidelines.

Accomplishments Lah created the 52-page asset oversight compliance manual for TSAHC. The manual, which took 11 months to compile, is used to train new compliance staff or specialists. "This way, when we send them out, we're sure they know everything they need to do and how to do it." Lah said. She said the challenge was writing it so that it was user-friendly for both staff and onsite personnel. "These really are two different audiences, and we met the needs of both." she said.

Tips "When speaking with community managers about crime, it is important to discuss issues by bringing up facts and talking about what preventative measures they have in place, and not try to tell them what to do." Lah said. "This way, they will think it through, and an opportunity to discuss recommendations is created."

David Hinds, CAM (Class of 2001)

David Hinds, CAM, works for CWS Apartment Homes at one of its three communities in Charlotte, N.C. He is currently the Assistant Community Director at The Marquis of Carmel Valley, a 424-unit garden-style community in South Charlotte.

Duties Hinds said in addition to handling the unexpected, his duties include billing and accounts receivable, customer service and employee relations. He also serves as a mentor to employees in North Carolina. Recently, computer/process training among the entire North Carolina staff.

He said his typical work day includes "putting out fires" all day. "Juggling so many things this is the greatest challenge. Being able to do it, and do it well, gives me the most satisfaction when it comes to my job and my career," Hinds said.

Accomplishments Hinds has had an instrumental role in CWS's "BRIDGE" program, a corporate program for community services. His team set many records last year for time spent giving back to the community, both during and outside of business hours. The program involves community work, such as hosting blood drives and working at youth facilities or with the local hospice. "When you see the personal impact your contributions of time and money have made, you are humbled to have been a part of something so rewarding," Hinds said.

Tips Hinds said selling begins in this business with the community manager, who sells the company to employees. The employees then sell the community to the residents, who in turn sell their positive experience to their friends. "You soon find out that when you show up to work in a good mood and do your job with a positive attitude, your staff will pick up that same positive attitude, which shows to your customers and just makes your day a lot easier," Hinds said.

The most valuable thing that BSU taught him "People skills--and BSU didn't even charge tuition for that lesson." At BSU's RPM program, students with initiative are given plenty of opportunities to stretch and grow their skills outside the classroom. "In temps of information, I learned most by completing the community analysis project," Hinds said. "It gave me a great overview of what working on a property and in this industry was all about."

Jill Dewing, CAM, CAPS (Class of 2000)

Jill Dewing began her RPM studies in 1998 and graduated in the summer of 2000. She earned degrees in interior design and residential property management. "I pursued the RPM career because it seemed more practical and I enjoyed it more than interior design," Dewing said.

Through her networking efforts, Dewing was able to gain an internship at a community, in Fort Wayne, Ind., in summer 1999.

She began her career at Mark III Management as a Property Manager at Benjamin Court, a 254-unit senior housing, Section 42 community in Indianapolis. Dewing is now the Leasing Director of The Masters Apartments, a 400-unit community in Indianapolis, and Assistant Regional Manager for nine communities in her region.

Challenges First learning about selling and then training new leasing professionals on how to sell apartments was challenging, Dewing said. "It is extremely satisfying to feel confident when a prospect comes through the door and know that I have the tools and talent to find the perfect home for this person," she said. 'It is about forming a relationship with this person and letting him or her know that I am doing all that I can to satisfy his or her needs, it is just as exciting to train leasing professionals to develop these relationships and see their talent grow."

Accomplishments at the then Mark III community Lakeview Court, Dewing helped improve the community's occupancy rate from about 70 percent to more than 90 percent. Dewing said learning the names of all the residents and developing a personal connection with each was key. "By knowing the staff, and by knowing that their requests would be taken care of, it made the residents feel a lot better about where they lived," she said. She said the hiring of a compliance manager to work with Mark s Section 42 community relieved her and her staff of some duties, and that their energy could then be spent on working toward improving resident relations.

Duties Dewing works with the property manager to develop outreach efforts, conduct weekly leasing meetings continue development of the leasing professionals' knowledge and skills and review and create new resident retention efforts. As Assistant Regional Manager, she assists the regional manager with computer training for employees, completing month-end reports; working shifts in the event a community is short-staffed and auditing files.

The most valuable thing she learned at BSU Dewing said coming to the realization and the understanding of the legalities of fair housing was the most important lesson she learned at BSU.

Tips "You need to develop the right when it comes to dealing with managing a Section 42/market-rate mixed property compared to completely market-rate properties," Dewing said. "You have to learn how to assess which program the client will qualify for without offending them."

Colleges That Offer Degrees in Residential Property Management

College             Program       Currently   Web site
                    Began         Enrolled

Virginia Tech       Fall 1985     125         www.ahrm.vt.edu/housing/
                                              rpm.htm
Florida State       Fall 1997     130         www.chs.fsu.edu/tsc/
                                              undergraduate_housing.php
Ball State (Ind.)   Fall 2000     7           wwwbsu.edu/fcs
U. of North Texas   Spring 2003   30          www.taa.org/edu_
                                              eventsresPropManage.php
U. of Georgia       Fall 2004     293         www.gaief.com

Paul R. Bergeron III is NAA's Director of Communications. He can be reached at 703/518-6141 Ext. 137.