2023 Winter Issue - 158

ULI Learning
Education Programs Overview
" ULI's education programs aim to offer points of connection along a person's entire education and career journey, " says Gretchen Sweeney, ULI vice
president for University Programs and Awards. " For some individuals, the introduction begins in high school with UrbanPlan, a program that gives them
a glimpse of the real estate development process and how it can benefit communities. Others may first encounter ULI at the college and university level
through the ULI Undergraduate Program, ULI Etkins Scholars, or the ULI Hines Student Competition, and others may find support for career growth or a
transition when they take a real estate course after college through ULI Learning. "
UrbanPlan
uli.org/urbanplan
UrbanPlan enables high school and university students, public officials
in local government, and interested members of the public to develop a
better understanding of real estate development in local communities
and the forces and challenges that affect it. Participants engage in a
realistic training exercise in which they work together to redevelop a
blighted site in a fictional community and take on roles ranging from
finance director to site planner. In the process, they learn about how
market forces such as supply and demand and availability of capital
interact with other influences, such as government regulation and
advocacy groups.
" It's an opportunity to step into the shoes of a developer and learn about
the tradeoffs and the risks that are part of the process, " says Sophie
Lambert, ULI vice president for UrbanPlan.
The content was recently updated to reflect the factors that developers
must consider-from rising construction costs to shifts in surface parking
requirements, increased emphasis on environmental impacts, and the
need for affordable housing.
" As with our professional courses, we've developed a digital platform
as well as continuing to provide in-person experiences to make
participating in UrbanPlan or volunteering to work with participants
more accessible, " says ULI executive vice president Cindy Chance.
" Developing student capacities for critical thinking and dispassionate
analysis of complex issues makes them more effective, informed,
and demagogue-proof participants in civil society-whether they
are addressing UrbanPlan's land use challenges or health care or
immigration issues, " says Shannon Corcoran, an economics teacher at
Desert Vista High School in Phoenix. " UrbanPlan is the most powerful
and engaging vehicle I have found to accomplish this objective. "
" UrbanPlan was created by our members to show how decisions about
what we build are what civic engagement is all about, " Chance explains.
" We have so many neighborhoods and communities where people spend
a lot of energy to oppose any development, and we want to inspire
participants to get involved to shift the direction of that to change their
communities for the better. "
ULI Learning
learning.uli.org
ULI Learning provides a real estate education for students, real estate
professionals, and members of the public who want to develop a
better understanding of the real estate industry and the development
process. The program draws on ULI's extensive library of publications,
informational content, and research, as well as the practical and
theoretical expertise of ULI members who join forces with faculty
members from university real estate programs across the nation. The
courses increasingly are offered online and on demand, which makes
them available to a wider range of students than ever before.
" Our goal is to make high-quality real estate education accessible and
affordable to anyone, " says ULI Learning senior director Alissa Akins.
ULI's reputation in the industry as an education and research
organization carries weight. " I think a lot of employers will see the
courses on a résumé and know that the students really had invested in
themselves and worked to better their understanding of commercial real
estate, " Akins explains.
The number of course offerings is growing so that in addition to basic
courses in real estate finance, investment, and development, more and
more specialized content is offered. " For example, we just did a course
on climate risk and resilience, " she says.
ULI Learning also provides resources to support programming offered
by ULI district councils, including diversity initiatives. " That way, we can
ensure consistency across what we're offering, as well as high-quality
education, " Akins says.
University Connections
uli.org/universities
This program connects students and faculty to industry leaders,
educational content, events, and programming, and supports university
thought leadership and research. " We already have many members
who are academics, but we're seeking to connect some of the nation's
best real estate programs to ULI in a more intentional way, to create a
clearer educational pathway into the industry, " says Chance. " To that
end, we're working with our partner universities to help them provide
http://www.uli.org/urbanplan http://learning.uli.org http://www.uli.org/universities
2023 Winter Issue

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2023 Winter Issue
