George Overstreet
The UVA Board of Visitors approved the establishment of the George A. Overstreet Jr. Distinguished Professorship in Real Estate at the McIntire School of Commerce. The professorship is named in honor of longtime McIntire Professor George Overstreet, who has served on the School’s Finance faculty for more than 35 years. He is credited with helping hundreds of students launch their careers in the fields of finance and real estate.
The professorship is designed to support a senior scholar who will help continue Overstreet’s legacy of leadership in offering a world-class program in real estate. The new professor will shape the School’s undergraduate and graduate coursework, expose students to career opportunities in this field, attract other outstanding faculty, spearhead an ambitious research agenda in real estate, and facilitate the exchange of ideas between the nation’s leading real estate professionals and scholars.
Overstreet, who is the Walker Professor in Growth Enterprises, Director of the Center for Growth Enterprises, and former Associate Dean for Research and Center Development, currently directs the School’s undergraduate Real Estate Track, teaching the track’s courses and frequently bringing industry experts into the classroom to share their expertise and mentor students. In 2009, he was inducted into the Raven Society and elected to the Society’s Governing Council the same year. Both the Z and Seven Societies have recognized Overstreet for his exceptional teaching, and last month, the Jefferson Scholars Foundation honored him with a 2018 Award for Excellence in Teaching, given to professors whose teaching embodies the Jeffersonian ideal of putting others ahead of self. In supporting his nomination for this award, one student noted that Overstreet’s “legacy will be to have instilled in his students honesty, empathy, and a passion for positively impacting communities.”
Overstreet’s portfolio of research includes more than 50 cases as well as numerous monographs and refereed articles that have appeared in more than a dozen leading academic journals, including Journal of the Operational Research Society; European Journal of Operational Research; Annals of Operations Research; Energy Economics; Journal of Risk and Insurance; Journal of Insurance Regulation; and IMA Journal of Mathematics Applied in Business and Industry. His research in credit scoring has received international recognition, and his research relating to Virginia’s film and wine production potential was acknowledged with letters of commendation from Virginia governors.
McIntire Dean Carl Zeithaml shared the announcement—a surprise to Overstreet—during the McIntire School’s spring semester board meetings. “We are thrilled,” Zeithaml said. “I think it is absolutely fitting that this professorship be named for George. He is a tremendous example of one person really affecting so many students and alumni and having a great, positive impact on the School and the University.”
Zeithaml acknowledged the gifts to the Distinguished Professorship in Real Estate Fund, the Major Calvin C. Crum Real Estate Endowment Fund, the Janemarie D. and Donald A. King Jr. Faculty Fellowship in Real Estate Fund, and the UVA Real Estate Institute Endowment Fund, which together provided the funding for the professorship. “This momentous occasion is only possible through the generous support of our alumni and friends who are dedicated to helping the McIntire School be the driving force behind a comprehensive real estate program at the University. In doing so, they also recognize George’s extensive knowledge of and deep passion for real estate finance, as well as his enduring devotion to his students and commitment to their success,” he said.
“No one is more deserving of such an honor,” said one donor, echoing Zeithaml’s remarks. “I recently attended a dinner with a number of younger Comm School alumni involved in real estate, and George’s legacy with these students was very tangible, just as it remains for my class 30 years ago.”
Please contact McIntire Associate Dean for Development & Alumni Engagement Katie Whittier at whittier@virginia.edu or +1 434-924-3394 to learn more about supporting the George A. Overstreet Jr. Distinguished Professorship in Real Estate at the McIntire School of Commerce.
