The University of Real Estate Alumni Forum has come a long way in the last five years. We have taken a loose affiliation of friends and colleagues from various years and established a self sufficient organization uniquely poised to make a significant impact on the future of real estate education at The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. We have hosted world class events, created a large and growing membership base of real estate professionals from all disciplines, and helped fellow alumni and new graduates make connections to new careers and new deal opportunities. Our latest effort involves the establishment of an endowment, to be managed in perpetuity by The Foundation for the purpose of aiding in funding a dedicated chair within the Department of Finance. This is an ambitious task, but one we challenge you to join us in. With the current squeeze in government budgets at all levels, the closing of The Office of Real Estate Research, the departure of faculty, and the competition of other colleges, we as alumni of UIUC face a future of graduates with little practical knowledge in our industry. I've been asked the question of whether it should concern us, and my firm belief is that the unique ties that bind us to our common heritage as UIUC graduates should continue to inure to our benefit, and that of those who follow us. We will keep you up to date from time to time about our goal of reaching a $1.5M endowment by the end of 2010. If you'd like to get involved in this effort, please e-mail me with you thoughts, or give me a call. Michael Hoadley, Past President