OUR HISTORY

For 25 years, the Wood Center for Real Estate Studies has been shaping the next generation of real estate leaders.

What began in 1976 with a single undergraduate course has grown into one of the nation's premier programs, producing industry-defining research, pioneering the NCREIF database, and opening doors for hundreds of students. From foundational textbooks to groundbreaking initiatives in housing affordability, every faculty position, every scholarship, and every student success exists because of alumni generosity.

Explore the milestones that built a legacy, and the people who made it possible.

 1970s     1980s     1990s     2000s     2010s     2020s

Photograph from 1988 of Mike Miles

1970s

Laying the Foundation

  • Mike Miles was hired in 1976 to teach the first undergraduate Real Estate courses and later began teaching MBA Real Estate courses.

1980s

Building Academic Excellence

  • Adjunct professors Norman Block and Tom Heffner begin teaching undergrad Real Estate courses in the early 1980s.
  • John Hekman became the second full-time real estate professor at the program from 1981 to 1986.
  • Tom McCue became the first real estate PhD candidate in 1979.
  • The Urban Land Institute awarded a grant to Miles, Hekman, and Emil Malizia to teach a multi-disciplinary course in Real Estate Development, which was cross-listed with the Planning School.
  • The Real Estate Development Process capstone course was introduced in 1984.
  • The joint MBA/MRP program was approved in 1984.
  • Dave Hartzell, one of Kenan-Flagler's first real estate PhD students, joined the faculty in 1988.
  • UNC real estate faculty and PhD students helped create the NCREIF database, which became a leading commercial real estate index.

    Before McColl's construction, the business school was housed in Carroll Hall on Main Campus.

    1990s

    Establishing Industry Leadership

    • Real Estate Development: Principles and Process, a textbook co-authored by Mike Miles, Gayle Berens, and Mark Eppli, was published. This is now in its fifth edition.
    • Tony Ciochetti joined the faculty in 1993.
    • Dave Hartzell was promoted to full professor in 1994 and later held the Stephen D. Bell and Leonard W. Wood Distinguished Professor in Real Estate Chair.
    • The McColl Building at UNC-Chapel Hill, home to the Kenan-Flagler Business School, was constructed and occupied in 1997. 
    • Real Estate was designated as one of the first seven official MBA concentrations at Kenan-Flagler in 1999.

      2000s

      Creating a Center for Innovation

      • The Center for Real Estate Development (CRED) was created under the leadership of alumnus Leonard Wood (MBA '72) in 2001.
      • The first UNC Real Estate Conference was held at The Carolina Club.
      • Tom Harvey served as CRED's first Executive Director from 2003 to 2007.
      • The first Real Estate Case Competition was held at Kenan-Flagler Business School (an internal competition sponsored by Target) in 2005.
      • The CRED Advisory Board was formed in 2006, engaging distinguished BSBA and MBA alumni.
      • The first Invitational Development Challenge was hosted with an Arlington, VA case (provided by CIM Group) in 2006.
      • Steve Cumbie served as CRED's second Executive Director from 2007 to 2011.
      • Chris Parsons joined the faculty in 2008, teaching real estate finance and real estate capital market courses through 2011.
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            2010s

            Expanding Reach and Impact

            • Lynn Fisher joined the faculty from MIT in 2010, teaching undergraduate and MBA Real Estate Development Process courses.
            • Deb Anderson served as CRED's third Executive Director from 2011 to 2013.
            • Jim Spaeth served as CRED's fourth Executive Director from 2013 to 2023 (the first full-time executive director).
            • Jacob Sagi joined the faculty in 2013.
            • The Center for Real Estate Development (CRED) was renamed The Leonard W. Wood Center for Real Estate Studies (WCRES).
            • The UNC Real Estate Conference outgrew The Carolina Club and relocated to the Dean E. Smith Center in 2018.
            • The Housing Affordability Initiative began with the first Housing Affordability Symposium in partnership with the Kenan Institute for Private Enterprise in 2019.
            • Leo Horey became Chair of the Wood Center Advisory Board in 2019.

            2020s

            Shaping the Next Generation

            • In the years post-COVID, the UNC Real Estate Conference regularly surpassed 900 registrants.
            • Hines became the corporate partner for the Development Challenge in 2023.
            • In 2023, the Wood Center began a partnership to host the ICSC and UNC Retail Real Estate Case Competition for undergraduates at ICSC Las Vegas.
            • Jeff Tucker became the Wood Center's fifth Executive Director in 2023.
            • Eric Maribojoc joined the team as faculty in 2023 and as the first Associate Director for the Housing Affordability Initiative.
            • Beginning with the 2023 event, the Housing Affordability Symposium is renamed the John A. Mitchener Housing Affordability Symposium.
            • Kelly Nagel became Chair of the Wood Center Advisory Board in July 2025.
            • The Wood Center relocated to its new suite in Steven D. Bell Hall in January 2026.