Michael A. Klump Center for Real Estate — A Year of Transformation
Building on years of experiential learning and industry partnership, the newly named Klump Center accelerated hands-on learning, expanded connectivity, elevated faculty leadership and seeded new pathways that mirror real-world practice.
With one of the nation’s largest academic real estate programs—nearly 500 undergraduates and 30 graduate students—the newly renamed Michael A. Klump Center for Real Estate builds on the legacy of the CU Real Estate Center. In its first year following the $15 million naming gift from Michael Klump, the Center has expanded faculty ranks, deepened industry ties, and launched high-touch student programming that turns ambition into outcomes.
Klump Center for Real Estate By the Numbers, Academic Year 2024-25
Treks & Conferences (local and national)
15
Real Estate Fellowship Meetings
14
"Conversations with Leaders" Industry Talks
10
Symposiums and Networking Events
10
Case Competition Participation
9
Including 1st place at Sherm Miller and Bascom; 2nd at BU's Hospitality Challenge
Financial Modeling/Case Workshops
8
Externship at CBRE
3 days
Funded Student Participation
2
ULI Spring Meeting (Denver) | ICSC (Las Vegas)
Real-World Learning in Action
Students deepened industry fluency via treks, workshops and competitions—building networks and confidence while applying classroom learning to live scenarios. The Center’s touchpoints spanned case prep, externships and national convenings that mirror the pace and rigor of the field.
Through the Etkin Real Estate Symposium Series, students engaged leading voices at the intersection of real estate and AI (e.g., CREtech, Alpaca VC, Apex Elite AI) and participated in national forums such as CREtech New York and Columbia’s AI in Real Estate Seminar, plus an AI-focused panel during CU’s Real Estate Forum.
Talent & Student Support
The Center welcomed new Associate Director Karen Klerman to lead student-facing programming, MS Real Estate career guidance and the undergraduate Real Estate Fellows program—expanding leadership and mentorship experiences for top majors.
Deal sourcing, underwriting, IC pitches and monitoring
Public markets analysis via the Leeds Investment Trading Group
Operational lifecycle with CU-owned assets
Investor updates, brand storytelling and stakeholder engagement
Faculty advisor hire planned this fall; a second pathway in real estate technology is under exploration
On the Horizon: CU Real Estate Investment Management & Finance Pathway (2026)
Enabled by the Michael A. Klump Center naming gift, Leeds is developing the CU Real Estate Investment Management & Finance Pathway, slated to launch in 2026. The pathway delivers end-to-end, real-world practice—live private equity investing, REIT advisory (via the Leeds Investment Trading Group), development & asset/property management with CU-owned assets, and investor communications—with a new faculty advisor planned and a complementary real estate technology track under exploration.
Faculty Leadership & Support
Research & Travel Grants launched to advance rigorous, policy-relevant work (e.g. housing discrimination, sustainability, voucher strategies, green building variation, the role of physical space in decisions).
Christophe Spaenjers, PhD - Michael A. Klump Endowed Chair; Faculty Director, Klump Center
Tony Cookson, PhD - Michael A. Klump Endowed Professor; research includes homeowners' insurance resilience, co-founded the Colorado Finance Summit
Pete Thrasher, PhD - Michael A. Klump Endowed Teaching Professor; leads the capstone Senior Seminar and case-competition programming
Scholarships: Investing in MS Real Estate Talent
Four MSRE students received Klump Graduate Scholarships, easing costs and enabling treks, networking and certifications.
Camden Dempsey (Boettcher Scholar, student-athlete, entrepreneur) is building VerEstate Title, an AI-powered title-insurance startup.
"I wanted to go to the best business school in Colorado. I knew Leeds had a strong focus on entrepreneurship, and that's something I'm really interested in. I thing I love about having a blend between athletics and Leeds is the values and leadership skills I've developed."