University graduates becoming the class of residential property management.

By being treated as valued prospects whose goal is to enter the multifamily housing industry, students at university programs, such as Virginia Tech--which this year celebrated its 15th graduating class--develop maturity at a level beyond their years. They leave as polished professionals ready to enter property management.

Many of those who have been "in the business" over time remember the smaller husband/wife teams that managed residential properties, or the leasing agent who was promoted to assistant because all the residents liked her--or maybe because the present assistant walked off the job.

Preparation for the new manager may have been a 30-minute run through the desk, a glance at the site plan and then a toss of the keys.

Not so today. Not only have owners of all sizes of properties initiated stronger orientation and training programs, they are supporting a new and valuable player in the emergence of the professional behind the desk. They are scouting the universities ... and the universities are bringing a whole new player to the game: the ready-made residential property manager.

These graduates are the product of college programs such as Virginia Tech, which this year celebrated its 15th graduating class from its Residential Property Management program; or the growing programs at Ball State University, Muncie, Ind., or Florida State University in Tallahassee, Fla.

They enter their first day on the job with an admirable level of certitude, having blended classroom education and real-life multifamily housing industry problem solving to become confident, proficient professionals.

They've had their hands on the most innovative technological devices. They won't claim to know it all, but instead, more impressively, they know where to go to find the answer--their mentors and their peers.

These invaluable relationships were created on university campuses. Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., this spring celebrated its 15th graduating class; Ball State has offered its program the past four years; and Florida State University has had its program for the past two years.

Each is enthusiastically supported by industry members who proudly claim they are realizing the ultimate return on investment--a bright, well-trained, professional employee.

Alexandra S. Jackiw, CPM, President, Buckingham Management, Indianapolis, is a member of the Virginia Tech Advisory Board. She said students who graduate from these programs are on the fast track in the industry.

At Florida State, Dr. Rinn Cloud, Department of Textiles and Human Sciences, helped create the school's new property management program. "When I speak to property management companies about joining the FSU advisory board," said Cloud. "And I tell them about the program, and their response is, `This is exactly what we need.'"

The "Springboard" to a Career

The advisory board at each university carries representatives from between 12 and 20 property management companies. (Service provider companies are eligible to serve as honorary or contributing members.) Board members take an active role in each student's development. They teach classes and serve as adjunct professors; share their ideas, experiences and expertise; and maintain healthy, supportive relationships through regular communication. National Apartment Association (NAA) staff members Maureen Lambe, CAE, and Susan Weston, CAM, CAPS, serve as non-voting members on the Virginia Tech and Florida State advisory boards.

At Virginia Tech, for example, the advisory board hosts a breakfast function each fall and spring when the advisory board comes to campus in Blacksburg, Va. It serves as a get-to-know-you session where the students learn the value of networking and the board discovers what aspects of the industry the students find most interesting.

The students, shy and a bit nervous at first, according to Virginia Tech program department head Dr. Rosemary Goss, quickly Warm up and realize what the board has to offer, Goss said. By being treated as valued prospects whose goal is to enter the multifamily housing industry, the students develop maturity at a level beyond their years. It is evident in their appearance, attitude and ability, according to Goss.

"It's the RPM coursework and input of the faculty and advisory board that basically pre-qualifies the students for their career," said Kimberly J. Mitchell (Virginia Tech '93), CPM, CAM, Vice President of Property Management, KSI Management Corp., Centreville, Va.

"By working closely with the students, companies on the board create an environment of comfort and learning for the students. The students quickly realize these are the companies that they will be working for in the future."

Jackiw, who also sits on the advisory board at Ball State, said that during the initial meeting, the advisory board members help the students realize that this is their springboard to graduation.

"As they near graduation, we help them with their interviewing skills, open doors, make phone calls and make recommendations," Jackiw said. "It's a pleasure to see them become so mature and so polished."

That progress comes by taking courses in property management that address areas such as building systems, universal design, housing for the elderly, interior design, design evaluation, real estate investment, acquisitions and marketing, among others. The recommended reading list for class includes topics such as how to improve communication skills, staff motivation and delivering high-quality customer service. By their junior year, most students have arranged to serve one and sometimes two internships, many of which are under the guidance of the advisory board companies.

Virginia Tech's program has served as a role model for success. Its classrooms are designed with the latest and greatest apartment appliances and furnishings, many of which are donated by advisory board companies. Students learn first-hand about everything from installing a toilet to repairing a refrigerator or setting up an office space to interpreting a financial statement.

Students at Virginia Tech and Ball State also study to take NAA's Certified Apartment Manager (CAM) exam so that they may achieve the CAM designation. This exam covers property maintenance, technology, finance, human resource management, management of residential issues, risk management, legal issues, Fair Housing and marketing. Florida State will offer the CAM exam next year.

Students also may be selected to attend NAA's national conference, bringing them in even closer contact with the industry and its leaders while further developing their networking contacts.

Ultimately, full-time jobs are solidified during the campus's career fair, which is attended by many residential property management companies.

"The career fair at Virginia Tech is really the time for the students to shine," said Mitchell, who has landed three jobs with the help of networking contacts made during her education at Virginia Tech. "You learn how to showcase yourself; how to present yourself."

Jennifer Tyrrell (Virginia Tech '98), Property Manager, Cascade at Landmark, Alexandria, Va., said it was comforting to her to know that when entering her senior year she had done the things necessary to put a career path in place.

"I still networked during my senior year, but I always knew in the back of my mind that I had a job lined up," she said.

Experience For a Lifetime

Tyrrell said the course work in college gave her an idea of the wide range of issues and situations to expect in property management.

"I entered the program because it offered such a variety of opportunities work-wise," said Tyrrell. "I didn't want something like what I might have found if I had taken a job in business, finance or economics, where basically I was doing the same thing day in and day out. In this industry, everyday on the job I run into something different."

Chad Craven (Virginia Tech '98), Community Manager, Archstone Saybrooke, Gaithersburg, Md., said that what he heard during classroom lectures about property management from experienced industry leaders helped bring those ideas home.

"The mentoring that Virginia Tech professor Dr. Michael Johnson, CPM, for example, gave me was a huge factor," said Craven, whose property earned Archstone's Community of the Year award for 2001.

"Dr. Johnson had been in the business for years and knew about every aspect of the industry. The experiences he shared with us are what attracted me to the industry. What he shared with us you cannot get from a book. At Tech, you get a deep foundation of knowledge about the industry."

Jackiw, who taught a course in real estate investment at Virginia Tech and currently teaches Senior Housing Design, Marketing and Management at Ball State, said advisory board members share the pivotal events in their careers with the students.

"We share real-life experiences and show students how they apply," she said. "They love that."

Andre Davis (VaTech '02) said Jackiw's investment class was particularly inspiring. "She showed us what it is all about, using real numbers with real earnings statements," he said. "It helped me see and analyze the return on investment. The more I found out about it, the more interested I became."

And Poinsetta Cowles-Oliver (Virginia Tech '87), P.H.M., Richmond Redevelopment & Housing Authority, Richmond, Va., who was part of Virginia Tech's first RPM graduating class, said actually performing those functions while on the job during her internship is what sold her on property management as a career.

Cowles-Oliver has dealt with social services in housing at RRHA for 14 years.

"The internship I got with Fralin & Waldron (in Richmond, Va.) enabled me to see that working in the property management industry is what I wanted to do the rest of my life." she said.

A Well-Received Program

The university professors interviewed for this article agreed that it is a rare breed of high school student who has their mind made up to enter the residential property management industry.

Nonetheless, their programs have grown at a tremendous rate, which coincides with the growth the industry has seen. Virginia Tech in each of the past five years has maintained a program of 75 students. Ball State, which first offered its program in 1999, has 60 students enrolled. Florida State, entering its third year, also has 60. Professors from each, however, said ideally their program could comfortably expand to carry approximately 100 students.

The professors said the students often are the best sources for the word-of-mouth recruitment of fellow students.

Davis, a star wide receiver on the Virginia Tech football team, showed last fall that not only could he score touchdowns, but was one of the property management program's top salesmen, pitching the merits of his degree to his teammates and other athletes.

One example is Virginia Tech rising senior Lee Suggs, who this summer entered his first internship. He is working on several Buckingham properties in Indianapolis, specializing on the maintenance-side of property management.

"I want to own my own buildings," said Suggs, who returns this fall as a Heisman Trophy candidate and starting tailback on the Virginia Tech football team. "I want to be my own boss."

FSU's Cloud said her program targets students who are undecided about their major. Residential property management appeals to a broad spectrum of interests: those wanting to be entrepreneurial, those who want jobs where they can work with people, and those who have a knack for creativity and design."

Students and professors alike said the relatively small classroom size allows students to gain more personal attention and that this truly is one of their major's top perks.

Tyrrell said the best thing about the program is the lifelong development of relationships with the faculty and other students she initiated while in college.

"The program is small enough so that you develop a personal feeling about each other," said Tyrrell. "The faculty can really give you the attention and keep you focused. We all knew each other well; I know that some of the current students and those who were a couple of years behind me when I graduated are the ones that I am going to go to when I'm looking to hire someone in property management."

Craven has had three jobs since he graduated, all gained through the contacts he made through the Virginia Tech advisory board.

"Now that I'm in the industry, I see what types of things come up on the job, and I can share them with my former classmates. We stay in touch with each other and offer information and advice on how to handle things that come up every day on the job."

Onward and Upward 

Goss said Virginia Tech hopes to heighten its program's awareness of working with commercial and affordable housing, and expand its coursework in commercial property management. She also would like to see Virginia Tech recruit an advisory board member from the West Coast. All the while, she said Tech will continue to strive to shape its students into well-rounded professionals and prepare them for the CAM exam.

Florida State is developing a Student Ambassadors Program. "We are asking some of our high-performing alumni to visit high schools, make presentations, and promote the program," said Cloud. "The state of Florida has a strong community college system, and that's another source for recruiting. We are aiming to set up our program so that community college students can transfer in."

Carla Earhart, Professor, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences and Director, Residential Property Management Program, Ball State University, said she is excited about the prospects of her program's recent offering of the course "Simulation in RPM," which has coursework based on recommendations from its 21 alumni.

The class is set up to operate a mock property. The course presents all kinds of situations, such as what to do if there is a fire; if half of the building's staff quits at one time; or if there is a mass move-out. It gives students the closest thing to real-life situations prior to an internship, she said.

Also, next spring Earhart will take a sabbatical and work in the apartment industry. "I hope to spread it around, working for a real estate investment trust (REIT), a government-assisted property and at a building in an urban situation," she said. "This experience will help me improve the courses and the program overall."

Kim Mitchell 

KSI Management Corp.

Greater Expectations

"The expectations are much higher for an RPM grad. People always say, "It's who you know." And sometimes it is. For every job I obtained, the company recruited me through networking and peers. My Virginia Tech connections assisted me greatly. It's a `family' environment there. The faculty at Virginia Tech has known me since I first enrolled there as a student in RPM. As Dr. Goss enjoys saying, `It's watching our children grow up.'

"It's very rewarding to me to know that I started as a student and now I am a VP, serving on the advisory board at Tech. I serve with the same people who helped me as a student, and now I am their peer. Serving on the board, I have the same vote as they do."

On the Cover

1. Richard Bighinatti
2. Jennifer Shaw
3. Betsy Bighinatti
4. Cecille Santos
5. Jennifer Tyrrell
6. Shanda Monique-Barnes
7. Dr. Rosemary Goss
8. Rashad Jenkins
9. Ronda Puryear
10. Alexandra Jackiw
11. Brandi Barber
12. Jennifer Wasikowski
    Craven
13. Dr. Kathy Parrott
14. Mark Dewey
15. Joanne Monday
16. Kristi Quillin
17. Dr. JoAnn Emmel
18. Phillip Lorenzon
19. Dr. Julia Beamish
20. David Layman
21. E. Carlton (Buddy)
    Wilton
22. Kim Mitchell
23. Dan Ward
24. Ben Araman
25. Reggie Samuel
26. Kendra Blevins
27. Robbie Robinson
28. Maggie Cataletto
29. Chad Craven
30. Tim Bostrom
31. Abby Hegemier

Dr. Rosemary Goss

Virginia Tech

`A Special Feeling'

"Attending the NAA conference gives our students the chance to see how large the scope of the industry is. They get to see and meet people who they've heard about. It's a re-affirmation of all that they've learned in class. They are treated special and they get the chance to feel special."

Chad Craven

Archstone Saybrooke

The Grass is Greener

"By being taught by professors who actually worked in the industry, I learned how things really are on the job. One told the story about a resident who insisted the grass be cut no taller than two inches; so much so that one day he measured the grass at 2.5 inches and called the property manager to complain. This taught me the importance of paying attention to detail and giving the resident what is promised to them."

Jennifer Tyrell

Cascade at Landmark

Getting Their Fix

"The instruction we got on general maintenance was very helpful, particularly from a woman's perspective. It was good to know something about the way appliances worked and how to fix them; the maintenance people that work for me now are impressed that I had some background knowledge about fixing things like installing a toilet."

Carla Earhart

Ball State University

NAA Affiliate Support

"The Apartment Association of Indiana and former NAA President Danny Spindler, who was President of our first advisory board, played an important role in the university's decision to go forward with the program.

"Spindler [President, Given and Spindler Companies, Evansville, Ind.] and AAI shared with our administration that the growth in this industry really is taking place and that jobs in residential property management would be available to students who graduate with this degree. We've received $125,000 in contributions from the industry."

Apartment Envy

"Our program is the envy of the campus," said Ball State University Department Head Carla Earhart. "Our students do get job offers; one got nine job offers."

Poinsetta Cowles-Oliver

Richmond (Va.) Redevelopment & Housing Authority

Following a Career Path

"I knew I could get a job in the industry, but I wanted to see if I could make a career of it and I found out I could."

Andre Davis

Cleveland Brawns

Giving Back to the Community

Andre Davis (Virginia Tech '02) this spring was selected in the second round of the NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns.

He said the education he received at Virginia Tech, particularly in the area of finance, convinced him that the money he earns in professional football would be well-spent in residential property ownership and management.

"I'd like to buy or build a property near the Virginia Tech campus and have students work in it--such as in an internship--as part of their learning about the industry," he said.

Lehman College's 1-year Plan

For the past nine years, Lehman College in Brooklyn, N.Y., part of The City University of New York, has offered a one-year program in which its students complete coursework with the objective of becoming qualified to manage properties.

The program, operated through the college's Office of Continuing Education, is taught by industry professionals who hold the CAM designation. The program comprises a 10-week and 11-week course, requiring a three-hour commitment one time per week, spread over the fall and spring semesters.

It concludes with the student having to satisfactorily complete an apartment community analysis, which is reviewed by an outside industry professional, who must hold the CAM designation. Lehman students also must pass the CAM national exam and get two years of experience.

"When students graduate here they have the background necessary to manage apartment communities," said Lehman College Director Al Weiner.

University of North Texas Launches RPM Program This Fall

The University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton, Texas, this fall will launch a program that will offer a degree in residential property management through the school's College of Business Administration.

UNT is the first such university to do so through its school of business. The program will offer courses in real estate finance and investment; agency and real estate law; valuation, contracts, development and principles of real estate; as well as an opportunity to earn credit for internships at Texas Apartment Association (TAA) member companies. Specific courses also will be offered in residential property management.

Students in the four-year undergraduate RPM degree program receive a core curriculum in finance, accounting, business law, statistics, management, business computer information systems and business policy.

TAA Executive Vice President George B. Allen said UNT in Denton, Texas, expects between 30 and 50 students to enroll this fall. He anticipates the program will soon grow to have 50-75 graduates per year.

Allen said TAA is invested in the UNT program for the long run. It created an RPM task force, headed by Pamela Smallwood, President, The Smallwood Companies, Fort Worth, Texas. Four months ago, led by the efforts of volunteer President Hap Hunnicutt, President, Equity Development Company, Houston, it created a foundation with the purpose to raise funds for the program.

Its goal was to raise $1 million over three years. Already it has raised $500,000. The funds will go toward an endowment professorship fund and to general education purposes.

"Texas companies in our industry have definitely stepped up to the plate," said Allen.

Florida Apartment Association Puts Florida State University Over the Top

The Florida Apartment Association (FAA) board of directors on May 30 voted unanimously to donate $10,000 to the Florida State University (FSU) property management program, putting the FSU endowment fund at over $100,000 in gifts.

By reaching that fund-raising plateau, FSU automatically will give the program an additional $50,000.

"The FAA is really excited about the FSU training program and happy to contribute to its success. The association has always believed in the power of education to improve the skills and marketability of its staff. We think FSU will help to provide a pipeline of talented individuals for our industry," said FAA Exeuctive Vice President, Marjorie J. Stealey.

For more information

For more history on the development of the residential property management programs at these schools, see the March 1998 issue of Units Magazine. Or; contact Paul Bergeron at [e-mail] for a copy.

Paul R. Bergeron III is Director of Communications for NAA. He can be reached at 703/797-0606 or e-mail [e-mail].