Edward A. St. John, founder, president and CEO of MIE
Properties, has made a $5.85 million commitment to the
Johns Hopkins University
School of Professional
Studies in Business and Education. The donation will be
used to launch a full-time master's degree program to
complement the school's existing part-time real estate
curriculum.
In appreciation of this contribution, the university
will name the school's real estate department the
Edward
St. John Department of Real Estate, which will oversee all
real estate activities and curricula and continuing
education programs at the school. In 2002, St. John donated
$115,000 to the Real Estate Department for the construction
of a state-of-the-art conference room, located in downtown
Baltimore.
This most recent gift is the largest ever to what is
now the School of Professional Studies in Business and
Education.
"Our philanthropic activities are primarily focused on
strengthening existing or creating new educational programs
and, in Johns Hopkins University, we have a highly
respected institutional partner that can create and execute
meaningful curriculums," Edward St. John said. "This new
full-time real estate master's program fills an important
gap and targets recent undergraduates looking to establish
a strong foundation in the real estate industry. The
program will create a new depth and breadth of knowledge
among young professionals entering the real estate
field."
The current real estate program, which operates under
the school's Graduate Division of Business and Management,
is one of five multidisciplined academic programs in the
nation devoted to real estate science and one of the few
that offers courses in design, construction, land use
regulation and real estate law. Most of the students are
midcareer professionals, many of them holding advanced
degrees in law or business.
According to Michael A. Anikeeff, chair of the Edward
St. John Department of Real Estate, the new full-time
program was designed for the entry-level real estate
professional, with input and recommendations from the Real
Estate Department's advisory board, of which Edward St.
John is a part.
The curriculum of the 12-month program will
incorporate many of the elements found in the existing
part-time program. Key differences include the requirement
of an internship at an approved real estate-related company
or institution, recruitment that will broaden to a national
and international environment and the addition of
individual counseling and advisory services.
"We believe this program to be unique in academia and
[that it] will provide a competitive advantage in
attracting the world's best young talent to the real estate
arena," Anikeeff said. "Edward St. John's investment in The
Johns Hopkins University will leave a lasting mark on one
of the nation's most respected educational institutions.
The program will provide the means to educate and inspire
community developers and leaders for ages to come."
Last month, St. John donated $2.3 million to the
Maryland Science Center's $35 million expansion and
renovation campaign, representing the largest individual
gift and the third-largest donation, behind the state of
Maryland and the city of Baltimore. The Maryland Science
Center recently renamed its IMAX Theatre the MIE Properties
IMAX Theatre and also named the newly opened Earth science
and dinosaur exhibition building the Edward St. John
Hall.
Since founding MIE Properties in 1971, St. John has
designed, constructed and owns more than 10 million square
feet of office, industrial and retail space that houses
more than 1,400 tenants in Maryland, Colorado, Louisiana,
Wisconsin and Virginia. He also has developed residential
projects and currently owns more than 2,200 apartment
units. Currently, MIE is developing more than 1 million
square feet of additional flex/office space in 10 different
office parks.
With this gift, commitments to the Johns Hopkins
Knowledge for the World campaign total more than $1.36
billion, more than two-thirds of the $2 billion goal.
Priorities of the fund-raising campaign, which benefits
both The Johns Hopkins University and The Johns Hopkins
Hospital and Health System, include strengthening endowment
for student aid and faculty support; advancing research,
academic and clinical initiatives; and building and
upgrading facilities on all campuses. The campaign began in
July 2000 and is scheduled to end in 2007.