News Release

Edward A. St. John, founder, president and CEO of MIE Properties Inc., has made a $5.85 million commitment to the Johns Hopkins University School of Professional Studies in Business and Education. The donation will launch a full-time master's degree program to complement the school's existing part-time real estate curriculum.

The multi-year commitment is the largest ever to the School of Professional Studies in Business and Education. In appreciation, the university will name the school's real estate department the Edward St. John Department of Real Estate. The department oversees all real estate activities, curricula and continuing education programs at the school.

"We are grateful to Edward St. John for his ongoing generosity and commitment to the School of Professional Studies in Business and Education," said Ralph Fessler, dean of the school. "His vision to build upon our strong part- time real estate curriculum to create a full-time real estate program will yield lasting benefits to our real estate department, the real estate profession and the community."

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.

"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," 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 for part-time students is one of five multi-discipline 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.

The new full-time program, to be launched in September 2005, is intended for the entry-level real estate professional, said Michael A. Anikeeff, chair of the Edward St. John Department of Real Estate. The program is being designed with input from the department's advisory board, of which St. John is a member.

The curriculum of the 12-month program will incorporate many of the elements of the existing part-time program. Key differences include 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."

St. John founded MIE Properties Inc. in 1971. The company has designed and 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 the St. John gift, commitments to the Johns Hopkins Knowledge for the World campaign total more than $1.43 billion, more than 71 percent 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.

Go to Headlines@HopkinsHome Page