Colorado Real Estate Journal -
On Wednesday evening, September 19th, the faculty and staff at the Burns school of Real Estate and Construction Management pulled off a surprise party for Dr. Mark Levine who has directed the program at the Daniels College of Business, University of Denver for the past 17 years. Dr. Levine announced his resignation earlier this summer and officially stepped down as director of the School on August 31, 2012. He will remain as faculty at the Burns School and continue to teach and do research with the University. The theme of the evening was Super Director! and was emceed by his Director of Operations of 15 years, Marie Kline. Kline and other faculty, staff, alumni and DU administration shared their history of working with Levine and acknowledged him for his vision and many accomplishments during his tenure as director of the Burns School. “We wanted just a small group of close associates, but the list kept growing. We had to make it a surprise”, said Kline, “Or Mark would never have allowed us to do this!” Dr. Levine led the Burns School growth from a small undergraduate and graduate program of fewer than 100 students into one of the largest programs within Daniels College of Business at DU. He added a distance learning Executive Master’s degree as well as a certificate program that could matriculate into an academic degree if desired. Levine strengthened ties to the industry through longstanding events such as the DU Fall Forecast. – and the Annual Update. The Fall Forecast later combined with the Denver Metro Commercial Association of Realtors (DMCAR) in 1996 to form the largest real estate conference in Colorado – the Rocky Mountain Commercial Real Estate EXPO / DU Fall Forecast. He also created a variety of forums that appealed to segments of the industry including construction management, affordable housing, multi-use properties and technology. He hosted top level industry leaders in the classroom to add a reality factor to formal classroom instruction for students. He regularly featured Breakfast with the Mayor(s) over the years. Levine a led Global Delegations which allowed students to travel over interterm or summer and winter breaks to visit real estate companies around the world and to tour construction projects in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Eastern and Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, India and Asia. “He leaves big shoes to fill”, said Dr. Michael Crean who added, “My real claim to fame is that I was the guy who hired him.” During her presentation about Levine, Kline noted that “Mark always saw the Opportunity… and was always able to get one step in front of it.” A national search is being launched to find a new director for the school in time for Fall 2013. Dr. Donald McCubbrey, a tenured faculty member and former President of the DU Faculty Senate will be serving as Interim Director until the position is filled permanently. The surprise dinner was held at the Wellshire Event Center and it was co-hosted by Larry and Marilyn Atler, long-time friends of Levine. As a picture is worth 1,000 words, below are some photos from the evening.