The David Eccles School of Business honored U graduates Ellis Ivory and Roger Boyer Wednesday for their contribution to the real estate program at the U by officially announcing a center in their honor and expansions in real estate academic programs.
The Ivory-Boyer Real Estate Center is the newest addition to the business school at the U and has been operating informally for about a year.
Ivory and Boyer approached members of the real estate community two years ago about expanding the real estate program at the U, which led to the conceptualization of the center.
A master’s degree in real estate is expected to be added to the curriculum some time this year, however, it still needs to be approved by the Utah State Board of Regents, said Chris Treasure, spokesman for the business school.
Jack Brittain, dean of the business school, said the purpose of the center is to provide the opportunity for students to learn lessons about real estate before they enter their careers. Real estate brokers will mentor students in the center to provide professional guidance in the field.
“We are celebrating the start of something that will have an impact on the state,” Brittain said.
The center’s curriculum includes a statewide real estate competition in which teams of students design a theoretical real estate project for an existing piece of land in Utah.
Last year, the five teams of finalists were awarded $2,000 and the winner received $20,000, said Fred Fairclough, director of the center and a U graduate.
Brittain and U President Michael Young presented Ivory and Boyer with commemorative plaques for their contribution to the center, which bears their names.
“I love this university,” Ivory said. “I owe everything I am and everything I have to the university.”
Boyer said he felt the potential with the real estate challenge and is excited for the real estate degree.
“I am excited about the future of the U,” he said.
The center was dedicated at a luncheon at the Salt Lake Country Club that featured a slide show depicting the history of Ivory and Boyer at the U8212;from fraternity brothers, to brothers-in-law, to business partners.