September 24th, 2012

FIU Creates the Tibor and Sheila Hollo School of Real Estate

MIAMI (September 24, 2012) – Florida International University (FIU) has partnered with South Florida developer Tibor Hollo and his wife Sheila to create the Tibor and Sheila Hollo School of Real Estate in the College of Business. Built on the foundation of the existing real estate program, the school honors a gift from the Tibor & Sheila Hollo Foundation.

“We are honored that through the establishment of the Hollo School, Mr. and Mrs. Hollo have made this important commitment to the expansion of FIU’s real estate education,” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. “We look forward to a relationship that benefits our university, our community, and the next generation of Miami’s business leaders.”

Tibor Hollo, Chairman & President of Florida East Coast Realty, Inc. (FECR), is considered the architect of modern Miami, having built the first building on Brickell Avenue. Hollo has made his mark by advocating and developing innovative projects that emphasize living, working, and playing in the urban core. Since its founding over 60 years ago, FECR has been involved in the development of over 60 million square feet of residential, commercial, retail, and industrial space, with landmark projects from New York to Nevada and throughout Florida.

“Real estate is a dynamic profession, one that challenges our best minds to explore how to use our limited resources to finance and create useful, exciting places to live and work,” Tibor Hollo said. “I am grateful that Florida International University embraces this challenge in its real estate program, and I am proud of our new association. I look forward to ongoing progress in the study of real estate, guided by the outstanding scholars at FIU.”

The Hollo foundation gift will be used to support FIU real estate faculty, academics, and programming. The program now has three full-time faculty members and 139 students in its graduate, undergraduate, dual-degree, and online degree programs.

“The Hollos are true visionaries,” said Joyce Elam, Executive Dean of FIU’s College of Business. “By establishing the Hollo School, they will help ensure the growth of our real estate program. We anticipate great advances thanks to the guidance of an exceptional pioneer and true role model.”

The Hollo School’s graduate program, the Master of Science in International Real Estate (MSIRE), is offered at FIU Downtown on Brickell, the university’s recently-expanded, 60,000 square foot facility at 1101 Brickell in the heart of Downtown Miami. In Fall 2012, the college initiated an online version of MSIRE, which recently became the first AACSB-certified online graduate program in real estate in the nation. FIU also offers a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in real estate, with classes offered at the Modesto A. Maidique Campus and other locations.

About Florida East Coast Realty (FECR):

Throughout Florida East Coast Realty’s extensive history, the company has built, owned, and managed a wide array of properties, and the company’s strategy for the future includes steady, continued growth in several real estate industries. In fact, the best is yet to come, with some of the largest and most electrifying projects that South Florida has ever seen, including the new One Bayfront Plaza, a signature mixed-use project of global stature that will be the tallest building in the Miami skyline. For more information on Florida East Coast Realty, please visit www.fecr.com.

About FIU:

Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law, and medicine. As one of South Florida’s anchor institutions, FIU is Worlds Ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. It has 160,000 alumni and enrolls 50,000 students in two campuses and three centers, including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU is a member of the Sun Belt Conference and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, please visit www.fiu.edu.

About the College of Business:

Florida International University’s College of Business, South Florida’s leading business school–with unique expertise in international business, entrepreneurship, healthcare management, and a broad range of financial services–is the largest of the university’s professional schools. Among the college’s more than 36,000 alumni are some of South Florida’s most successful business leaders and entrepreneurs. More than 8,000 students are enrolled in undergraduate business courses in its R. Kirk Landon Undergraduate School of Business, and more than 2,000 graduate students study in its Alvah H. Chapman Jr. Graduate School of Business every year. Another 1,000 business professionals participate annually in one or more of its professional and executive education programs. For more information, please visit www.business.fiu.edu.