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UTEP, Airport Partnership Elevates Commercial Real Estate Student Experience

Last Updated on December 03, 2020 at 12:00 PM

Originally published December 03, 2020

By UC Staff

UTEP Communications

EL PASO, Texas – The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is partnering with the El Paso International Airport (EPIA) to provide real-world experience to College of Business Administration students enrolled in the Commercial Real Estate minor.

The University of Texas at El Paso is partnering with the El Paso International Airport to provide real-world experience to College of Business Administration students enrolled in the Commercial Real Estate minor program. Students are working alongside airport staff in the Aviation Development and Properties division to assess available commercial real estate located on airport property. Photo: Courtesy El Paso International Airport.
The University of Texas at El Paso is partnering with the El Paso International Airport to provide real-world experience to College of Business Administration students enrolled in the Commercial Real Estate minor program. Students are working alongside airport staff in the Aviation Development and Properties division to assess available commercial real estate located on airport property. Photo: Courtesy El Paso International Airport.

Throughout the fall 2020 semester, UTEP commercial real estate students have been working alongside EPIA staff in the Aviation Development and Properties Division to assess available commercial real estate located on airport property. The students are conducting research and creating marketing and property development plans for the real estate parcels that lay within the nearly 7,000 acres of airport-owned property. Those plans will be presented to EPIA staff.

“This is a win-win partnership for both the students who are receiving a high-quality experience and education at UTEP and for the airport, which welcomes the partnership to help support our economic growth, which is beneficial for the entire community,” said Sam Rodriguez, El Paso Aviation Director. “We are looking forward to this collaborative future and the economic prosperity potential it can bring for our tri-state, binational region.”

Students taking advantage of this opportunity are benefiting from being able to learn from experienced aviation development professionals while gaining hands-on skills in commercial real estate development processes.

“This partnership with EPIA enables us to deliver a valuable, timely and relevant experiential learning opportunity for our students. It also allows students to apply their talents and make an impact in the community,” said James Payne, Ph.D., dean of UTEP’s College of Business Administration.