October 6, 2003
Top National Business Schools Return to Texas for Real Estate Challenge
Austin, TX - For a glimpse of fierce competition between the top business school talents in the nation, all eyes will be on The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business Friday, Oct. 31, for the second annual national real estate finance case challenge.
Hosted by the McCombs School's Center for Real Estate Finance, the case-based competition will feature 12 teams of graduate students from premier schools such as Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Kellogg, UCLA, Wharton, Berkeley and The University of Texas at Austin. Eleven of the teams participated in last year's competition.
This year's case will be provided by Goldman Sachs & Co. and requires the evaluation of an investment opportunity on behalf of a global real estate opportunity fund. Student teams will receive the case via e-mail at noon on Oct. 28 and each will have 20 minutes on Friday, Oct. 31, to give a presentation in which they address the investment process, post-investment operations and exit strategies.
Designed to offer students a taste of the challenges that face real estate professionals, the competition will be evaluated by a panel of judges from prominent investment banks and financing institutions such as Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo and J.P. Morgan Securities.
Winner of the $5000 first place prize last year was the Haas School at University of California at Berkeley. The McCombs School won 2nd place and Harvard won 3rd place.
The McCombs School's Center for Real Estate Finance is the first academic center at a leading U.S. university to specialize in the convergence of real estate and finance and works closely with students to educate and assist those who are interested in careers in real estate. The purpose of the REFIC is to support curriculum development in real estate finance at the University of Texas as well as to support faculty research and faculty development. The center is the focal point for the growth of a nationally recognized real estate program.
For additional information contact Angela Dorsey, Assistant Director for the REFIC, at 512-232-7385, or Kay Randall, Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, at 512-232-3910.
For information on specific programs at the McCombs School, consult our contacts page. For media information, contact the Communications Director by phone at 512-471-3314 or by email at CommunicationsDirector@mccombs.utexas.edu.
