Dr. Mark Eppli, professor of finance and Robert B. Bell, Sr., Chair in Real Estate at Marquette University’s College of Business Administration, is resigning at the end of the 2017-18 academic year to take a teaching and research faculty position at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned his Ph.D., master’s and bachelor’s degrees from UW-Madison.
In the fall 2018 semester, Eppli will return to his alma mater and join the faculty of the James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate.
“Jim (Graaskamp) is the reason why I got my Ph.D,” Eppli said. “I was the last one to wheel him out of the College of Business before he passed away in April 1988. Going back home is really meaningful to me in a lot of ways and was a big draw.”
Eppli said his work at UW-Madison will not be much different than what he does at Marquette. He plans to devote one-third of his time to teaching, one-third to working with industry and research and one-third to doing presentations in the community.
Eppli was named the first Bell Chair in Real Estate at Marquette in 2002.
During his time at Marquette, he served as the interim James H. Keyes Dean for Business Administration from 2012–15; founded the Associates in Commercial Real Estate (ACRE) program, a minority outreach program that provides commercial real estate training, networking and mentoring opportunities; and built a real estate program and center that has been ranked No. 9 nationally by U.S. News and World Report the past three years.
Eppli has been involved with annual BizTimes Milwaukee Commercial Real Estate and Development Conference since the event began in 2003, serving as emcee.
Eppli also served as interim dean of the Marquette University business school in 2012 while the school looked for a replacement for Linda M. Salchenberger.
“I am immensely grateful for my time at Marquette University, and it is the most profound professional experience of my life and my career,” Eppli said. “While I’m looking forward to the next chapter, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge and thank the students who made such an impact on me over the past 16 years, the faculty and staff I’ve called colleagues and friends, and the Milwaukee-area real estate professionals who made me a better teacher and scholar.”
Dr. Brian Till, James H. Keyes Dean of Business Administration, said Eppli has enhanced the reputation of the business school not just regionally but also nationally.
Peter Bell, chairman of First Realty and the benefactor who made the Bell Chair gift in his father’s name, echoed Till’s sentiment, saying there is no better person to hold the inaugural Bell Chair than Eppli.
“Mark exceeded all expectations in building a well-respected, top 10-ranked program — he has honored our father’s legacy with class and professionalism,” Bell said.
Prior to joining Marquette in 2002, Eppli was professor of finance and real estate in the School of Business and Public Management at The George Washington University, where he directed the MBA program in real estate and urban development.
Eppli is coauthor of two books: the fourth edition of Real Estate Development: Principles and Process and Valuing the New Urbanism, both published by the Urban Land Institute.
Eppli is an independent board member for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, a position he has held since 2012, and he is immediate past president of the nonprofit Real Estate Research Institute. Two years ago, he was named a “Distinguished Fellow” by NAIOP, a national commercial real estate organization, which recognizes him as a foremost real estate policy expert.
On Monday, Marquette announced David Krill will serve ans senior director and Andy Hunt will serve as director of the Center for Real Estate. Both will report to Eppli until he leaves the university.
The two will be responsible for building upon the center’s success in teaching, research and outreach, and they will help lead fundraising efforts toward an endowment for the center.
Krill and Hunt are both returning to Marquette to take on the new roles. Krill, who is a founding member of the Center for Real Estate and former president of the Marquette University National Alumni Association board, was an adjunct instructor of real estate from 2002–17, until his retirement in May. Hunt previously served as associate director for the center from 2010–14.
Marquette will begin the search for a new Bell Chair in Real Estate.
