Mission Statement

The University of Illinois Rho Epsilon Student Real Estate Association offers students a practical, hands-on, experience in commercial real estate. We expose members to diverse career paths within the industry, introduce students to industry specific knowledge, and grow connections with professionals, providing invaluable networking opportunities that enhance their education and future career prospects in Real Estate.

Alumni Testimonials

Actively participating in Rho Epsilon for seven semesters not only exposed me to the different areas of real estate, but also built a huge network of professionals I came to know over the years. It was amazing to see how much the guest speakers and the faculty lead care about the organization and continuously look for opportunities for students to get involved. I found it interesting to learn about the cyclical nature of the industry and to hear from professionals who have battled through the most recent downturn. Presentations tended to be conversational and often involved meaningful discussions about careers. Events usually involved panels of professionals along with site visits to major construction projects in the Chicago market. Being an active member of Rho Epsilon led to my first internship at a property management firm as well as opportunities to get involved with the Eisenberg Foundation through competing in the Real Estate Case Competition and participating in the Mentorship Program. I would recommend the organization to anyone looking to learn more about the real estate industry.”

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- Connor Matthews | Real Estate Investor and Advisor, Small Business Owner

“The privilege of being President of Rho Epsilon afforded me one of the most rewarding experiences of my college career, in addition to allowing me to regularly meet and speak directly with professionals who provided a real world perspective on the industry. My first internship at Cushman & Wakefield's O'Hare Market Research Group during Summer of 1990 while I was still an undergrad, came through a visit by Steve Schmitz & Brigid Mattingly. I also interned the next summer 'stacking' buildings for Steve Schmitz downtown Chicago, and then later worked for C &W from 1994-1998. The most memorable and rewarding experience however, was organizing a speech at Foellinger Auditorium for Jack Kemp, former Vice Presidential Candidate in 1996, who was then heading an organization called Empower America. I had seen Kemp's testimony on CSPAN in the Spring of 1993 before a House Committee on Housing Issues, very much liked his perspective, moderate conservative policy views, and so began to investigate what it would take to bring him to The U of I. That experience led me to one of the great early collaboration opportunities. We were able to secure funding from about 20 different student groups, work with The Washington Speaker's Bureau, and finally The Student Union Board to raise $30,000. I couldn't have done it without the help of some of the people in this picture, and a number of others. It was a great lesson in many things that have served me well in a career of drawing people together around common goals.”